Song of the Full Moon's Child
by StEpPiNg StOnEs
Summary: OCxKiba eventually. It hurt. For a year, my heart hurt me. I ran away. From the village, and from everyone I knew. What was a searching for though? Revenge. For my sister, who was killed by two men. Hurt and angry, I travel, distant and.full summary insie
1. Runaway

**a/n okay! so here's the first chapter in my second Naruto series! it will be a romance for the victim of my number two Naruto boy obsession! I have a ton of Naruto obsessions. such awesome characters.** **I have started at least four out of..._many_ fanfics. now, I hope you enjoy this! this one is, in my opinion, kind of sad. Not as sad as another one I've written but...yeah...**

**Summary:** **_OCxKiba eventually. It hurt. For a year, my heart hurt me. I ran away. From the village, and from everyone I knew. What was a searching for though? Revenge. For my sister, who was killed by two men. Hurt and angry, I travel, distnat and unable to be healed. But, when I reach my destination, I meet a guy who teaches me that there's so much for to live for, and that wallowing won't do any good. (better than the summary, or so I think)_**

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**Song of the Full Moon's Child  
Chapter One-Runaway**

_"What-what are you doing?" _

"They wanted the blood of a member of the Tomi clan, didn't they?"

"But Reina-onee-chan! It's me they want!"

"Shh!" She cast a wary glance about. "Kaiyo, it's my duty as your older sister and a Chuunin Ninja to protect you. If I can't do that, what good am I?"

"B-but--"

"I've already achieved all the goals I've ever set for myself. If I do this for you, it will be just one more thing I can be happy about. You're so young, and you're still in Ninja school. You have so many goals and you'll have so many opportunities. More than I ever have...Please, Kaiyo dear. Let me do this. For you and for myself."

"Make your decision quickly!" A man growled, scarred face half hidden by a mask the same color of the sky.

"Onee-chan..."

"Onee-chan..."

"What was that?"

My head snapped up, mint-green hair flying out of my face. Mother was giving me one of _those_ looks again. The kind that said she was concerned about me, like I was going crazy because I was talking to myself. It didn't help that I was saying the name of someone who, according to her, never existed.

She didn't even acknowledge the fact that the one-year anniversary of the event was today.

"Nothing...just...thinking, is all." I stood and walked out of the kitchen; Mom looked over her shoulder at me.

"Where are you going? Kaiyo!"

"Walking..."

It was a cloudy day in the Hidden Village of Moonlight. Dark and gloomy. I sighed; the weather fit my mood perfectly. Not that my mood changed too much anymore.

My feet had minds of their own, leading me where they pleased. It was a place I usually avoided, ever since something so horrible happened. Before the 'incident' it was my favorite spot, a place I would play hide-and-seek and tag as a child, and then just think once I got older.

The fat wooden pole was still there, located right by the pond where the sun or moon always shone, reflection bouncing off the water and making a bright light of its own. It was all located on a small hill a bit away from the village civilization, but still within the boundaries.

_"We have made our decision." _

"What?! No we haven't!"

"Well hurry it up or I'll slaughter the both of you! That's what I should be doing anyway! But I'm being kind and giving you the choice!" The scar faced man growled menacingly; his partner sneered.

"Onee-chan...why don't you fight them back? You're a Chuunin! And I can help, even though I'm not even a Genin yet..."

The two men laughed. The older man's was deep and came from his gut; it didn't seem cruel--it sounded like Santa, but it was. The younger, blue-haired man's laugh, however, was cold and airy that sent chills up the spine. I shivered at the sound of it.

"I still do...just thinking about it..." I said to myself, rubbing my bare arms until the goose bumps went away.

If I looked closely at the calm waters, I could still see the red blood. I knew it was my imagination, still lost in the terror, but it looked so real.

In the shadows I could almost see the pot-bellied, scar faced man, a blood thirsty look in his eyes; his companion licked the blade of a knife

"No..."

_"No...Onee-chan! Please, don't do this!" _

"Sir! The decision has been made!" she shouted over my voice. "I will be the sacrifice. Tomi Reina is my name, the heir to the Tomi clan, a Chuunin. I'm sure that's a better offer than some Ninja school attendee who no secrets can be revealed from once the inspections of the body are done..."

"Inspections? Secrets? Onee-chan, what are you talking about?"

The two men grinned wicked grins. "Yes, it most certainly is."

"Just give me one last moment with my sister, please. Very private manner..." Reina came to me, her back to the two men, and made some hand seals.

"Kaiyo, this will protect my body from any secrets being made," she whispered so lowly it would be impossible for anyone to hear. "I want you to run away, okay? Run as far as you can, as fast as your scrawny legs can carry you. Understand?"

A dark look entered her eyes; whimpering, I nodded. I found that I couldn't lift my legs though...

The same lead feeling was still there, had been ever since. It was something that couldn't be shaken off. I wanted to run away, as far as I could go. I wanted to be carried off to some distant land where memories wouldn't erupt as often, where I could get rid of the horrible feeling growing in the pit of my stomach.

"I want to leave this place...I can't take it any more," I said, voice shaking violently. I fell to the ground, holding my head in my hands.

Reina-onee-chan...the most precious person to me...

_Why did you do this to me?_

She said it was for me, and for herself. But what was she talking about? Did she want to die? Why did she wish to protect me so much? She already achieved all her goals?

_How could she have so little to live for, when she was so kind? Everyone in town loved her...Everyone but Mommy and Daddy..._

"Onee-chan..." I whispered, rubbing my stinging eyes with balled fists.

"Mom and Dad probably want me home...I should get going..."I told myself, first getting to my knees then pushing myself up all the way.

_How come they didn't love her?_

"Kaiyo! Good you're back already! If you wouldn't mind helping me prepare dinner?"

_Well speak of the devil..._ I put on a fake smile and nodded. "Of course, Mother. That would not be a problem. But is it already that late?"

Hooking her arm through mine, Mom laughed. "Oh, dear, no! But I'm preparing a huge feast for tonight! There's nothing better than a feast to bring up the spirits on such a cloudy day as this!"

"Oh, yes! Of course...You're absolutely right..."

I was lying through my teeth. Nothing could make this day joyous, not for me. But I wouldn't say that to Mom. She'd start screaming at the mention of Reina's name, an experience I had encountered many times. It was loud enough to make your ears bleed, and angry enough to make you cry.

_A feast, huh? She really doesn't care what day it is...does she?

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_

The feeling became overwhelming, really. After dinner, many hours later, I packed a small bag and went back to the place where the scene occurred.

_"Please...let me do it myself...I'd rather go with a weapon familiar to me, no matter how odd it sounds." She looked at me, her eyes flashing warningly. She told me to leave, so why hadn't I? _

"Heh. Go ahead. But if that doesn't kill you quickly, we'll take care of the rest."

"So long as I get to use my own weapon first, I suppose that is fine."

Out of the sheath she pulled her thin sword with golden wings on the handle, a diamond between the two. She stepped into the pond, a favorite place of hers, and lifted the sword high so that the harvest moon's bright light glinted on the blade.

Her head was slightly turned so that she could see me. I knew she didn't want this to be viewed by me, but terror kept my feet where they were.

The sword came down, right through her arm. The blood flew, staining her skin and clothes. Her bangs hung in her green eyes as she watched the look of horror on my face; she frowned.

"I did this for you, Kaiyo. So that you can live on with your dreams."

I gripped at my dark grey clothes, fist trembling. "Don't worry, Onee-chan. I don't care if you willingly died...you will be avenged," I said in a deadly whisper.

And with that, I ran off into the night, my legs finally feeling less like lead and more like air, so that I could live up to my promise.

"I'm finally running away," I whispered. The words did wonders for me, bringing tears of joy rather than the usual tears of bitterness. "I'm leaving the Hidden Village of Moonlight...for good..."

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**a/n and that was the first chapter of my new Kiba fanfic!! what did you think? reviews are very much appreciated. yes I do believe it is a made up village. don't care :) It fits the story and...yeah...I haven't ehard of it if it IS a real village. if you know for sure please tell me so in a message!  
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**so thanks for reading! really appreciate it!  
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**she's a runaway train, never coming back. (the song I used on quizila was 'Runaway Train' by Soul Asylum)  
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**Hope it was a good beginning. hope you can take the time to tell me what you think. It isn't my best works but...hopefully it will evolve...**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!**


	2. Avenge

**a/n you are all very pleased that I'm back, no doubt? actually, I'm gonna get all of THIS story up today, the Day of Christmas Eve. hope you all enjoy! I don't have much to say in this note, but a chapter doens't look right without one, in my opinion.**

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**Song of the Full Moon's Child  
Chapter Two-Avenge**

The fantastic feeling running away originally gave me was beginning to wear off. I had moved onto worrying about what Mother would do. Was she going to send out a search party? If she did they'd most likely be ninjas...which meant they'd be forceful and I wouldn't have a chance of getting away.

Sighing, I sat down with a 'thud' on the ground, dirt flying up all around me. I coughed a little before bringing my head to my lap to avoid getting more dust in my lungs.

"I could really go for a shower..." I said after a while. That was the sort of thing I had been saying ever since I had set off about eight days ago. I didn't speak much--to myself or to the few other people I passed. Not once had I gone through any sort of civilization since my journey began.

I had learned to ignore the sickening hunger in my stomach--the kind that made me feel like barfing it was so strong.

"How much longer?" I wondered, bringing my head up from my lap and falling onto my back, staring into the sky. It didn't matter if where I lay was a patch of dirt. I had gotten so filthy it wouldn't matter if I decided to lay around in a pig pen--not that I would, mind you, but it still wouldn't make a difference.

On the second day of my journey, I had decided that my destination was Konoha--the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was quite a journey, but I would make it. I'd be sure to pass through other villages on my way; I'd get food and proper drink. Maybe even a place to stay, for a bit.

_But for a place to stay, I'll probably have to do some jobs around the town...provided they even let me enter..._

I sighed again, staring hard at the evening sky. Quick as lightning, I sat up. _Evening_ sky?! I needed to find shelter for the night--and fast.

"Ugh...but I'm so tired of walking. I've gone far enough as it is, for today."

_And my feet are so sore they're likely to fall off..._

But I got up anyway, giving myself the strength to do so by thinking of what onee-chan did for me.

_Onee-chan...it will not be forgotten, I promise. And I'll kill the men who did it to you, I promise you that much. _I felt so silly even thinking such a thing. Those two men were strong and powerful--they were bloodthirsty killers. How could I, a simple Genin, defeat them?

"Don't even think like that, Kaiyo. Anything is possible..." My fist was tight and trembling as I brought myself to my feet. "Whether that's a good or bad thing, I'm not sure. But I know it's true. If Mommy and Daddy can just disregard the fact that their first child died, then **anything** is possible."

Grabbing my bag, I slowly began to jog. I was pacing myself, speeding up, and then abruptly slowing down. If I wanted to conserve energy, that was how it would have to be.

I ran on and on like that. Finally I ran quickly for a considerable amount of time until I felt like I was going to puke. Without reason, I tripped, falling to the hard ground, just catching myself before I broke my nose on the rock. However, that did nothing for my hands, the palms sliced open and the floating dirt getting into the open wound.

I let out angry noise. Not at the slices in my skin or the blood quickly flowing out, staining the dirt, grass, and rocks, as well as my skin. I was annoyed at myself. For stumbling, then falling.

For being so _weak_.

For having such delicate skin that it was so easily sliced by a dull-ish rock.

If things continued the way they were going...

_No!! Kaiyo you are **not** allowed to think that way!!!_

Rolling off of my stomach and onto my back so that I could sit up, I grabbed my back pack and rummaged around through it until I found my bandages.

Hastily, I wrapped up my fragile hands and just sat there, sighing every other second. The sun was completely down now, and the moon's light was dim.

"I can't stop moving...not until I find a decent shelter, at least."

There was a pain in my stomach, a noticeable one. This surprised me; I had learned to ignore the constant hunger so much that it never really came.

I shakily pushed myself to my feet and took a few steps away from the patch of rocks--

--and promptly threw up.

"Ugh..." I fell to my knees, wiping it from my mouth using my arm. My stomach was still churning, and my throat was burning.

"It's funny how the taste--and smell--of throw up just wants to make you do it more," I mumbled. A shudder went up my spine at the thought. _And apparently...that's exactly what I'm going to do,_ I thought miserably, pulling my mint-green hair from my face and closing my eyes as I brought my face closer to the ground. I felt as if my stomach was going to come out my throat.

I found it difficult to block my sense of smell. That was probably because the nose and mouth are connected and...blocking the taste as my empty stomach dumped the very few contents of it onto the ground would be impossible.

Finally, it stopped, and I fell back on the ground, wiping my mouth on my arm once more. I was breathing heavily, and I felt wretched.

"Maybe I won't move anymore...that was probably the cause of..._this_ anyway..." I looked at the contents of my stomach with disgust. "But do I ever wish I had water right now..." I laughed a bitter laugh before closing my eyes and letting the exhaustion finally win. The blanket of sleep washed over me, and I was peaceful at last...

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Morning came quickly. The strong, un-shaded sunlight woke me--and in quite a bad mood. I grumbled as I brought myself to my feet. My whole body shook, and I grasped my rumbling stomach in fear that I'd throw up again.

But it was just hunger. At first it was a weak whimpering noise, but at the speed of sound it turned into the mighty roar of a tiger.

"Crap...I'm supposed to be able to block this..." I muttered and bit my lower lip to draw attention to that pain rather than that of my stomach.

"I have to leave again...I've got to get into a civilization..._Fast_."

I swung my bag over my shoulder and started my journey again. If only I had a map so I could figure out how much further until I reached a town. Then I would know how to properly pace myself.

But I did not have a map, so I could only guess, and only pace myself the way I had been doing since I started my trip...

_How long ago **Was** that anyway?_ I came to a sudden halt, looking up at the sky in deep thought. For some reason my hand hovered over my thigh before it touched my fore-head protector, tightly tied around my upper leg and bearing the symbol of my village--Gekkougakure, or the Hidden Village of Moonlight.

I smiled fondly, thinking about the place. I came from a very proud little village, with only a few great ninjas, but very few people with rotten hearts.

I was sad to say I thought my parents to be two of those few people.

Thinking of Tsukikage, I smiled again. A dear young man who I became good friends with over the years of my life. In fact, I was friends with him before he even became Tsukikage. He had been a **very** good friend of Reina-onee-chan. He was almost as sad as I when she died...

"Tsukikage-sama..." I breathed, looking back down to earth. "You'll be happy to know that she will be avenged..."

With that said, I set off again, a smile continuously flickering across my grimy face.

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**a/n this chapter relaly seems short on fanfiction!! why is that?! I really want to know why things are longer on quizilla. actually it's probably because on quizilla the writing block is more narrow. yeah...okay, I'm good. xD hope you enjoyed! feel free to tell me what you think!!!**

**S.s**


	3. Trees

**a/n okay so um...here's chapter three!! yay!! It mgiht be a while until I update this story again. yeah...hopefully not too long, actually. :)**

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**Song of the Full Moon's Child  
Chapter Three-Trees**

Tired and dirty, I walked through the gates of my third town. This one, unlike the others, was a village meant for tourists. It looked very polished and low key, at first glance, quite unlike the other two places I visited as I traveled, searching for Konoha.

Sighing a little as I wiped the sweat from my forehead, using the back of my hand, I took another step forward. For some odd reason, I believed that I would see the whole town differently just because of that one little step. But it was just the same.

"Time to go find some jobs around the village so I can get some food. Maybe even a place to stay this time, since I have a little money left over from the last village..." I said to myself; my hand clutched at the pouch filled with money that I had been carrying.

There wasn't all that much left; I had done all the jobs I could and promptly went to get food; hunger was getting to me, so strong that I couldn't ignore it.

"Miss! Miss might I interest you in a wonderful--"

"No," I said curtly, walking right on passed the salesman with a blank expression. Up ahead I saw a stand, with an item that made me freeze where I stood.

Apples. All shades, shapes, and sizes. But they were apples. There was a woman looking through them, and a man looking rather pleased by the stand.

A pained look came across my face, and I felt myself begin to squirm. The man noticed me and after staring a little, motioned for me to come over.

"Girl...girl, would you be interested in some apples? They're fresh, and there's plenty to go around..."

At the word 'apple' I felt the lump come into my throat, large as a golf ball, but as hard as a rock. I blinked away the tears before quickly shaking my head and running around the corner. I pressed myself against the wall, biting my lower lip. I heard the first salesman make a remark to the apple-one.

"Well, seems like she was more interested in _mine_. At least she didn't run off crying when I asked her."

A comment that usually would have made me burst out laughing, even if I was in the worst of moods, couldn't even make me crack a smile.

"Reina-onee-chan," I whispered, sliding down against the wall so that I sat on the loose dirt of the alleyway. "You loved apples..."

I hugged my knees close to my chest, the only noise I made was the whimpering and sniffling.

"It hurts, Reina-onee-chan..." I said eventually, my fingernails digging into my calves as I squeezed my legs closer to me. "Why? Why?" I tried to swallow down the tears, but it did nothing; my shoulders heaved as sobs escaped me, silent. But each one tore at my throat, and I found it difficult to breath.

_Stop it Kaiyo. You're being ridiculous_ I told myself. _Just stop swimming self-pity. It's pathetic. You're just wasting time, mourning something that happened a year ago..._

Shaking slightly, I brought myself to my feet and walked on, needing to find a place where I could temporarily have a job.

_"Onee-chan!" _

"What is it, Kaiyo dear?" Reina asked, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.

"Ma says to come help her out at home!" I said in my childish way.

Reina groaned. "This is what they could call child abuse," she mumbled, hopping off of the tree stump she sat on.

"Nani?"

Reina shook her head. "Never mind. Come on, Kaiyo dear..." She took a bite into the crisp golden apple she held in her hand and draped her arms over my small shoulders, guiding me back home.

"Excuse me, sir?" I asked, leaning on the counter of a stand that looked pretty well off. "I was wondering if you have any room for a part-time--"

The man cut me off. "No. We aren't taking on new employees. There isn't enough money to go hiring help."

"Oh...Well do you know of--"

Rudely, he cut me off again, shaking his head shortly. "I don't know of any. You're probably going to get the same answer everywhere you ask."

"Oh. Well thanks anyway."

"Heh..."

I took off again, asking almost every place I passed. The answer was the same all around. Until I reached one stand. It seemed pretty run down, and the two people running it, the woman holding a young child, looked just as beat up.

"Excuse me..." I began slowly, feeling uneasy asking these people. They both looked up at me and smiled kindly.

"How can we help you?" the man asked, leaning on the counter with his elbows.

"Do you know of a place where I could get a job for a couple days?"

_If they want to give me a job, they can feel free to do that. That's why I worded it the way I did--because they can say they don't know of a place. Or just mention a place that isn't theirs..._

The two people exchanged a glance. "We'd be happy to hire you! We don't have any employees, and we're beat."

I smiled a little. "Thank you so much! So when can I start?"

"Anytime you want."

I didn't even think about it for a minute before saying, "I can start now! It'll give you a break..."

The woman broke into a grateful smile; she seemed even more rundown than the man, who I assumed was her husband. Plus she was taking care of a baby.

"Here's my apron. My husband will explain the job to you. I can't thank you enough." Handing me to soiled apron, she disappeared to one of the buildings behind the stand. I turned to her husband expectantly.

He sighed, running a grimy hand through his brown, graying hair. "First off, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Kaemon Natso." He held out his hand; I gladly took it.

"Kaiyo is my name," I said, deciding not to tell him my last name. "It's nice to meet you."

He smiled in return, giving a short nod. "Well, come on back here and I'll tell you what we do." He yawned widely as he made room for me to stand beside him.

"Well, we're pretty much a pottery stand. In the back, we make the pottery. In the house we bake them and, after they cool, we paint. But we also do some other things, depending on what the customer needs. Sometimes we provide a service and other times we sell fresh-baked bread." He grinned a little, rubbing the back of his head. "So do you have any experience with pottery?"

I shook my head. "But I'm willing to learn."

Natso nodded, smiling. "It's nice to hear someone say that for a change," he said softly as he looked around, eyes scanning over the village. "Well I can teach you tomorrow. But for now, would you wind putting the pottery we have made already in the fire pit? It's right inside..."

"Not a problem." I picked up the tray and carefully made my way inside. The fire pit-thing was probably the worst _looking_ thing in there. It was grimy and the bottom was covered in ashes.

_Because they need it for everything..._ I thought. _They're so desperate for money, they do what the customer needs..._

Sticking my head outside, I asked what to do to heat it up. I was told to just put a fire in the bottom with lots of coal. I was surprised that it would be enough, but he knew best.

As I rummaged around the cupboards for some coal, I felt a pang in my heart. I ignored it and continued searching; my hand grazed over a lumpy bag. I pulled it out of the cupboard and grabbed a handful of coals to throw in. As I did so, another pang shot through my heart.

_"Ma! I'm home and here to serve-I mean **help** you." _

"Reina! What took you so long?" Mom's screech pierced my ears, and I could tell they burst Reina's ears as well, because her free hand shot up to one.

"Well you see, Kaiyo is only six years old, and you sent her to get me. So it took a bit of time for her small legs to carry her to me. Plus she had to find where I was...so that took a while. But once she came, we left right away," Reina replied, moving her hand from her ear to a strand of her teal, knee-length hair.

Ma stepped into the room, red faced and thin-lipped. "I didn't ask for your **tone** missy!" she said in a dangerously low voice.

The 11-year-old Reina froze as Ma came towards her and I. Mommy didn't even acknowledge me, cowering against my sister, clutching at her clothes. Reina, arm still draped over my shoulders, brought me close to her so that my face was snuggling against her sides--she knew what was coming, and she didn't want me to see.

But that didn't protect me from hearing the sound of Ma's hand making impact against Reina's cheek. "Now get into the kitchen to help me bake bread, got it?" she snapped.

Reina mumbled something and hurried to the kitchen, keeping me right by her. "Actually, Kaiyo, I was wrong before. _That_ was child abuse..." she whispered, bending slightly so she could say it right into my ear. Then, straightening herself, she grabbed the pan of bread dough and put it into the fire pit, then lit underneath after throwing coals in.

"Kaiyo! Are you done?" Natso called in. I quickly finished up and then came out of the house, wiping my black hands on my already soiled clothes.

Natso smiled at me, a look that seemed to wake up his tired face. "Thank you for doing that, Kaiyo," he said, and looked out at the village again with hopeful eyes. "Come on. Let's get started on some other things. Maybe painting?" he suggested.

"Okay. I can do that..." I said, and made my way over to him so that my new boss could show me what to do.

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"Okay, here's your days wages. I'm sorry it isn't a very large amount but you see..."

"Oh I understand!" I cut him off so that he didn't have to say what he was going to. "Well I'll be heading off now..."

_"Okay, Kaiyo. I'm heading off now. You can come with me, if you'd like to. But you mustn't tell Ma or Poppi, understand?" Reina whispered, kneeling so that she was just a little taller than I was. _

"I understand, onee-chan!" I whispered. "I'm coming with you, and I'll be very quiet!"

We slipped out the back door into the fading day. Quietly, the two of us walked through our backyard and then out onto the dirt-roads. Reina led the way, holding my hand tightly so I wouldn't get lost.

We went down a path that I didn't know about until that day; it fascinated me what with the tall trees that had leaves that looked like they were made of water. The moonlight reflected on those special leaves, showing the path ahead.

"You like it, Kaiyo dear?"

Too awestruck to speak, I nodded; Reina laughed as she too looked up at the canopy of leaves.

"It's nice, isn't it? And they're really special, too. Do you know why they're so special, Kaiyo?"

"No," I whispered.

"Because these trees are only found here in Gekkougakure. If anyone tries to bring them to another country, or even another _village_ in THIS country, it won't be able to grow. Because only our very own Gekkougakure has the right climate, terrain, and everything that this type of tree needs..."

"What kind of tree _is_ it?"

"I can't remember..." Reina said, turning down an even smaller path. "Kaiyo, come here. I'll carry you the rest of the way."

And that she did. Into the center of this small patch of forest she took me, and then stopped. Towards the middle were apple trees galore. But in the **very** center there was a giant tree, that seemed to be a mixture of an apple tree and the water-leaf tree.

"Do you see this, Kaiyo dear?" Reina jerked her head towards the tree. "It's because of that giant thing that **apple** trees can grow here. It gives off some sort of power...I'm not sure how. They never taught us that in the Academy." She grinned sheepishly as she walked under the shade of the giant tree and leaned against the trunk.

"This tree is the only one in the **world** that has this type of apple. Take a look." She plucked two from the branches and then sat down next to me again, handing one to me. But before she took a bite of her own, or said anything more, she took out a kunai and gently dragged it over her palm once, and then again, above the first one. Blood slowly leaked out; I watched in horror.

"Onee-chan? Why-why did you do that?"

Reina laughed lightly. "It's for the tree, see?" she slapped her palm against the blue-ish bark. The blood from her hand glowed for a minute on the bark, and then vanished.

"Nani?"

"You see, since this tree is one-of-a-kind, whenever an apple is taken, you have to pay the tree in blood. Just a little bit, Kaiyo!" she added quickly, seeing my horror grow. "And you must use as many cuts as the amount of apples you took. I won't go any further than that, okay?"

I nodded.

"Good. Now take a bite. Trust me, it's good."

I obeyed, my small teeth digging into the small apple. That was when I noticed the color of the apple's peel--blue. I gave my older sister an odd look; she nodded reassuringly.

It was juicy, and tasted like...nothing I had ever experienced. It still tasted like an apple, but it had a different kind of sweetness.

"What did I tell you?" Reina said, laughing, when she saw my delighted expression, and then went on to devour her own.

Eventually we both fell asleep, feeling incredibly safe.

I hadn't gotten too far; my thoughts had left me walking slowly. So, thinking about that day and the safety I felt under a tree, I turned back to the stand. Natso was still there, looking hopeful, even though he knew no one would come, especially at night.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, how may I help you? We have a fine selection of pottery here and--" he stopped short, squinting through the dark at me. He looked disappointed.

"Oh. Konichiwa, Kaiyo. What do you need?"

"Do you know of any forest areas nearby that I could sleep in?" I asked, not in the least hurt by the fact that he was disappointed that it was me. What would _you_ expect from a man who was just trying to earn money enough to support his family, and only got one customer the entire day?

"Oh yes. Just go down that road there and take a left. You'll see it soon enough..." He said passively, waving a hand as a spoke.

"Arigato, Natso-kun!" I said, smiling and turned away to run in the direction he had said. "Sayonara!"

"Wait!!"

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned towards Natso. "Nani?"

"Did you say you were looking for trees to _sleep_ in?"

I nodded hesitantly.

"You haven't got a place to stay?"

I shook my head. I hadn't enough money to pay for a room anywhere, I knew that.

Natso sighed a little, smiling as he shook his head. "Well why didn't you ask about a place then? I'd be happy to let you stay at out place for as long as you're staying--for free."

"Oh no! I wouldn't want to impose. I'll be fine in the forest!"

"No, I insist! It's the least I can do for coming to work for us! It's finally giving my wife a break. She's exhausted enough as it is, what with a baby and all. But having to work all day as well...it's too much for her. And for me too. You've relieved us both from a lot of work. Arigato."

I nodded. "It's not a problem. I like to work!" _It keeps my mind off of other things..._

"Nevertheless, I want you to stay with us. Please..."

Giving a resigned sigh, I nodded my head. "Alright. Arigato, Natso-kun."

"My pleasure. You'll be able to use the shower, as well. And feel free to sue the washing bin at any time to clean your clothes..."

"Arigato," I said again.

Natso nodded. "Come along, I'll show you to the extra room..." Putting his hand on my back, he led me into the small house to where I could stay.

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**a/n I don't know how many Chapters Kaiyo will be in this town. But I know for a fact that in chapter four, she'll still be here, and probably the chapter after that as well. so um, not tryign to be a beggar but...reviews? Come on folks, it's Christmas! Spread the cheer :P lol. anyway!! laterz! back to uploading new stories!! yay!! **


	4. Color

**a/n wow. it's been some time since I've updated, eh? It was Christmas eve when I got all the others up, correct? anyway! I hope you enjoy this chapter!! laterz! (a.k.a the bottom of this chapter)

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**Song of the Full Moon's Child  
Chapter Four-Color**

"Kaiyo! Are you almost ready to open up?" Natso called into the building.

"Uh...just hang on a second!" I called back, running a hand through my long, mint-green hair. I had been working there for a number of days. I hadn't expected to stay as long as I had been, but I was there nonetheless.

_They need a break from their hard work_ I told myself as I rubbed my eyes. I was trying desperately to help them earn more money. It was working a little bit, but was costing me most of my energy. More energy than the couple was earning.

"I'm sorry Natso-kun, but I was wondering if I could have the day off? Just today?" I said after finding my way over to him.

"Of course! You've been working non-stop since you've gotten here. It's the least I can do to repay your kindness."

"You don't owe me anything!" I exclaimed, appalled. "You gave me a job, a place to stay, food, everything!"

"Well you offered to work here. That's worth more than any of the things you mentioned. Now go. I'll handle the work."

"Are you sure?" I asked uneasily, slowly backing away from the stand and onto the street.

"Kaiyo, you know I love your help, and appreciate it greatly, but you need a rest. Besides, you _asked_ for the break, why are you trying to get out of it?" Natso's smile was both smug and amused, but oddly, I didn't find it offending in the least.

"No! I was just making sure you could spare me!"

"My, how self-righteous we have become," Natso joked, grinning widely; I rolled my eyes, laughing a little.

"Well, I'll be heading off now, boss. Thanks again!"

"Yup! Hey, Oki? Could you bring the baby out here for a minute?" Natso's attention had already been turned away from me, his employee and back to his family; I smiled sadly to myself.

_That must be nice, _I thought as I watched them. Even though they were impoverished, they were happy. I had never experienced that ideal picture. I had pretty much always wanted it, in a sense. When I was younger, I felt an empty feeling whenever I saw people like that. But my family had never had that...closeness...

_My parents never really liked Reina-onee-chan. In fact, I don't know if Poppi and Mom ever even really liked **each other**. Poppi never really was home..._

I gave my pouch of money a tight squeeze, turning down a small side road, in search of a certain shop I had seen on my first day in the Tourist village, in search of a part-time job.

Soon enough, I found it. It was on the lower level of a wide, two-story building. The doors were open wide, letting in the hot air. Hanging from the doorway were shells of all shapes and sizes. I smiled lightly as I made a part in them; they clashed against each other, making a pleasant, tinkling noise.

A woman ran over to greet me, a bright smile on her face; she kept her hands folded in front of her. "Greetings, Miss! What can I help you with?"

This was supposed to make me feel welcome, I was sure, but, to the contrary, it made me feel unwanted. Like the lady was trying to get me out of there as fast as possible.

"Oh. I was wondering if you had any large...banners? And colored pencils?" I said, awkwardly squirming where I stood.

The woman smiled kindly, pushing her light hair away from her face and putting a hand on my back. "I'll show you where they all are," she said, directing me towards the back right-hand corner of the large room. There hung scroll-like banners of many sizes and with all sorts of different coloring on the back.

"The colored pencils are all on the shelf right there," the woman said, pointing to a shelf nearby.

"Oh, thank you," I said, truly grateful. This would help me so much with what I planned on doing.

"Not a problem, sweetie. Just call if you need anything else, alright?"

I gave a quick nod, which the lady took as a sign and bustled off to the counter at the other side of the store. Watching her for just a moment, I turned back to the giant scrolls. Lifting a couple just slightly, I saw either words written Kanji-style or a pretty picture.

I decided to buy two of them, both with pictures on the back. Keeping the images clear in my mind, I walked over to the shelf with the colored pencils and picked up one of the wooden boxes, but my mint-green eyes stared at each of them. These, too, was lovely. Each was unique with its own various, ornate designs carved into the fine wood.

One specific one, towards the back, caught my eye. It was mahogany wood with a large full moon carved on the front, craters and all.

_"You know, Kaiyo, you're very lucky," a twelve-year-old Reina said as she and I sat near the pond. It was far into the night hours, but we had no intention of leaving. _

"Why?" I inquired, sitting up and staring at her with interest.

"Because the Full Moon is always watching you..."

"Nani?"

Reina looked up at the sky, a wistful smile on her face as she stared at the giant white marble that rested on the silky black canvas of the sky.

"Have you never noticed how everything's always alright with you when the full moon is out? And also, how you are always attracted to things with an impersonation of the moon?"

I shook my head, jaw length mint colored hair whipping at my face.

"Ah, I suppose you wouldn't, since you're still so young. But it's true."

"I still dont get it," I mumbled, lying back down on my back.

Reina looked down at me from where she sat on the fat wooden pole, stuck into the ground. Her long, teal hair hung in her face. But her grin showed through the hair, and made me smile as well.

I stared at it for a while longer and then decided: I had to have this one. Sure, the pencils inside were probably all the same but, I was drawn to the object. It was just as Reina-onee-chan said. Or maybe _because_ of that...

"Umm...excuse me?" I called out, waving my free hand in the air to catch the shop keeper's attention. "Could you help me out, please?"

The woman hurried over, smiling lightly. "What is it that you need?" she asked kindly, but then she spotted the box I had chosen. "Oh, what a lovely choice! How odd though...I don't remember ever stacking that box? And I remember _everything_ that I stack. If I like it, of course." She laughed airily to herself. "So really, honey. What do you need!"

"Could you help me get two of those scrolls down?" I asked, looking over at them.

"Of course! Juts tell me which two you'd like!"

I walked over and, somehow remembering exactly where the two I liked most where, I pointed at them. The woman smiled as she lifted them both into her arms and then waddled back to the front counter; I followed after her.

"Okay so, these with the box of pencils would be..." she paused, typing each individual price into the money register. "Exactly one-hundred-fifty."

I opened up my money pouch up and paid her the money. As I went to lift the items, I paused. On the back of one was a picture I didn't recognize. The woman must have recognized me staring, because she also took a look,

"Yeah, it's pretty...Strange. I don't remember stacking **this** either. And I really like it...well anyway! You sure do seem to have a thing for moons!"

_Or **they** have a thing for me!_ I thought, wide eyed, but gave her a weak smile. I hadn't even LOOKED at the scroll she was talking about.

"Could you hold these here for me? Just for a moment! I want to go look at the scrolls again. They're really pretty..."

"Of course! Take your time!" She smiled easily; as I walked back over to where the banners were, she sat back on her stool and picked up a magazine.

I stared curiously at all the scrolls, both rolled up and open, hanging on the wall. I hoped that I wouldn't have to rummage through them, trying to find the one I had intended to buy but hadnt, but seeing as I didnt have x-ray vision, I had to.

Making sure I was careful, I knelt down on the ground and began searching. But it was nowhere. It was as if the scroll had disappeared off the face of the earth.

Sighing, I stood and walked back towards the front. "Arigato," I said as I grabbed my things and headed out.

"No, no. Thank _you_ Make sure to tell your family where you got the lovely banners!" she said, smiling; I nodded stiffly and walked outside, back into the heat.

_My family..._ I thought, frowning deeply, squinting through the blinding sun beams._Pfft._

Using my hand to block out the sun, I scoped the immediate area to find a barren place. Seeing as there were none, I walked for a bit until I came across a place, far from any buildings. It was a field, covered completely in lush green grass that danced in the silent wind.

I allowed myself only a small smile, taking one more step forward before taking a seat on the ground. Carefully, I placed the three items I had just purchased on the ground beside me. Stretching my legs out in front of me, I brushed of the front of my dark colored dress. As I did so, my fingers brushed off the fabric and onto my leg; I touched something cold and felt myself freeze.

It was my forehead protector. I had forgotten about it, tied there around my right thigh. It had been there for so long I no longer felt it, unless my fingers happened to graze over it, as they had just done.

Subconsciously, my finger traced over the design etched into the metal plate. It was a simple crescent moon, with a small star hanging from either point; nearly touching the edge of the 'moon' was a slightly larger star than the other two.

"I almost forgot I was a ninja," I said, disapproving. I had been so busy with helping out the Kaemons that I hadn't had any time to practice.

"I'll need to do that soon," I whispered to myself, my finger still moving around the metal.

Giving my head a slight shake, I brought myself back out of my thoughts and grabbed one of the two banner/scrolls, sticking it out in front of me. Before I rolled it open, I brought my legs back underneath me.

Once the large thing was open, I stared down at it; a blank, white canvas stared back, menacing. It was daring me to destroy that clean, disturbing white.

My tongue stuck out the side of my mouth and I gently bit down on it, thoughtful. In my mind, I could see a clear image of what it could look like. But if I looked away from the paper, the image would fade. My eyes burned as I continued to stare, waiting for the vague image in my mind to grow stronger. Once it finally did and was bright and clear, I turned to my side, grabbing the box of pencils. Sliding off the top with ease, I began to rummage through the many pencils in search of a pale brown.

It was towards the bottom, but once I got it I eagerly set to work. My hand moved fast, making small dots every hear and there that outlined the shape. My teeth bit down harder on my soft tongue as I thought. Abruptly, my limp hand grew a life of its own once more as the tip brushed against the white paper, filling in the outlined shape.

That part was simple enough. The part that followed was the more difficult. I dug my hand into the mahogany box, searching for a darker box so that I could give the drawing dimension.

What was drawn was a large, clay pot. I stared at it thoughtfully for a moment before lightly making marks with the darker pencil.

It took less time than I thought it would, and I was soon moving onto the next task.

I randomly grabbed a light pink colored pencil from the top of the stack. Just as the tip made contact with the paper, it fell from my hand, which had opened. A distant look came over my face as my mind temporarily blacked out.

_I held a light pink colored pencil loosely in my small hand, humming happily to myself as I drew something on a sheet of paper. I hadn't gotten too far into the picture yet; it was currently just a field of green grass and a solitude tree. I bit lightly down on my tongue as I considered a couple ways of how to draw the flowers. Just as I pressed the point against the green part of the paper, a shadow was cast over my art. _

"That looks nice, Kaiyo."

I immediately turned, the voice having broken my concentration, and grinned up at my older sister.

"Arigato!"

Reina laughed a little as she ruffled my hair with her one hand. Then she turned towards the wall and frowned, removing her hand from the top of my head.

"Well, I better get going, before I'm late," she sighed, and took a step away.

"Wait!" I whined in my childish way. I was a child, so that made sense. With my tiny hand, I grabbed at her clothes. "Where are you going? Why are you leaving?"

"I need to get to the Academy, so I can take the classes." She paused, a happy smile coming onto her face. "To think that in a other three years, I'll be a ninja! Isn't that cool?!"

"Yeah!" My smile was brief because then, a concern came into my head. "When you're a ninja, will you be spending less time at home?"

She shrugged. "I'm really not sure. A ninja's schedule is unpredictable. You'll learn that in a few years when you go to the Academy. I think that you have to at least be seven so...heh. How ironic. You'll be coming the year I graduate." Reina chuckled to herself as she pried my hand away from her clothing.

My laugh was weak. I may have been young, but I knew that one year wasn't long, which meant I'd be spending even _less_ time with her.

"Well, I really need to get going. See you later, Kaiyo dear!" And with that, she was gone.

I frowned deeply before turning back to the paper, chucking the light oink pencil I still head and replacing it with a teal one.

This time, I wasn't going to be able to draw my sister in the picture, but I could do something else.

I searched through the box for a red and a black. Once I found them, I began to draw. In the center of the 'pot' I drew it: a cardinal. It was always Reina's favorite bird.

As I drew the wings, spread out as if it was in flight, I smiled weakly.

"Onee-chan," I whispered, and looked up at the sky. Ironically, a bird flew by up ahead. Blinking and swallowing hard, I turned back to the banner.

Many hours later, as night was falling, I stood. My legs were sore from remaining in one position for so long; it felt good to stretch out my knees.

I stood there, breathing in the fresh scent of late evening, for several minutes before I finally bent down and grabbed the two posters I had been working on for so long, and the lovely mahogany pencil box.

_Now all that's left for me to do is find somewhere to put these..._ I thought, heading back towards civilization. Shops were closing up, and slowly, less and less people were occupying the streets, heading for their homes.

Holding my items close to me, I ran towards the Kaemon house and stand. I silently went to my room, put them down, and tip-toed through the hall to a small workshop. Conveniently, a box of nails and a hammer were right by the door. I grabbed them, sprinted back to my room, and grabbed one of the two scrolls, knowing which it was by the design showing, and discreetly headed back out.

Making sure I didn't make eye contact with any of the few people I passed--because I had become very well known in the town and they'd surely want to chat--I made my way to the center of town. I needed an open building, or a house in the area.

My eyes flickered about until I noticed a man standing in a doorway, his back facing mine. He was flipping a sign on his door from 'open' to 'closed'.

"Wait!!" I shouted, managing somehow to relieve one hand from holding the banner. I raised it high so he could see who was calling to him.

My luck high for once, he spotted me and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you need? I'm closing up..."

Half-running over to him, I shook my head. "I need nothing from your store. But I would like a favor."

"A favor? I don't even know you!" the man exclaimed, aghast.

"I'm Kaiyo. Nice to meet you!" I said a bit irritably; I needed to get this done! But the man took the hand I offered and shook it enthusiastically.

"You're the girl who's been helping out the Kaemon's, right? I don't know how they can spare the money!" He disbelievingly exclaimed; suddenly, his eyes narrowed. "They _are_ paying you, **aren't** they? Because if they aren't, I could always--"

"They're paying me," I said shortly, taking my hand back so I could hold onto the three items.

"Oh. Okay!" The man sounded a bit disappointed. "Well, what is it that you need? And make it quick. I need to get to bed so I can wake up early."

"I was wondering if I could nail this scroll banner thingy onto the wooden square. You know. Right there by the door. It _is_ meant for advertisements, isn't it?" I said, since the man was clearly confused.

"_What?!_ You want to advertise another business on MY notice board?!"

"Well why not? It isn't as if they even do the same thing as you!"

"They **could**! You know better than I how desperate for money they are--they do whatever the customer needs!"

I rolled my eyes. "_Please_. I feel bad saying this but, it's so rare that a customer comes to the place that what you just said barely matters!" I caught sight of meat hanging in his shop window. "And _plus_. I dont think they'll be giving up any meat they manage to get a hold of."

The man scowled and began to weigh his options. Finally, he growled, "What do I get out of it?"

"The satisfaction of helping a _family_ less fortunate than you," I replied bluntly as I thought to myself, _What a selfish man. If this were my village and I had asked this, I would get a 'yes' in the blink of an eye!_

"Well that doesn't seem like very much. In fact it **isn't**..."

I bit my lip to stifle the exasperated shout that was bubbling up inside my throat. "Yes, I know it may seem like a poor reward but, looking back at some point in time, when the Kaemons are thriving, you'll look back in satisfaction saying 'Hey! I let their helper put a simple banner on my notice board! It's thanks to me they're doing so well'!" I hoped the bitterness in my voice wasn't too noticeable; it was people like this guy, only worse, that had killed my sister. Now I had never liked selfish people but, since then, I couldn't stand to even _look_ at the type.

"Well aren't you self confident," the man said, smirking slightly with raised brows. "You really think a simple advertisement will help them all that much?"

I shrugged. "You can decide that for yourself. Here. Take it and open it up--vertically."

The man easily slipped the large scroll and rolled it open.

"How is that an advertisement? It's merely a drawing of a cherry blossom tree at sunset!"

I rolled my eyes. "That's the **back**. Turn it around."

"Oh. Yes, of course," he murmured, fumbling with his hands as he went to turn it around. In an instant, his embarrassed expression went to shock of a sort.

"Hey! This is pretty good! You drew this?"

"Sure did," I said smugly. I tried not to be so proud, but it was hard when it involved my artwork. Ever since I was a kid, I had had an interest in drawing. Not only that, but I had a _talent_ for it.

_Reina wasn't just saying that._

"Hey kid, how old are you anyway?!" he asked, looking from me to the banner.

"Young enough," I said vaguely. "But not too young to have a talent. In more than one thing." My hand subconsciously moved towards the forehead protector on my thigh again.

"Hm. Well, I do admit it's _very_ nice. Wouldn't disgrace my notice board, that's for sure." He grinned down at me. Then a thoughtful expression wafted over his features and his smile that made him look quite like a pig fell.

"Okay! I've decided. You go ahead and do what you need to do with my notice board. After all, it might draw people into _my_ shop, right?"

"Right! That's the way to think!" I exclaimed, barely refraining from saying the words dancing at the tip of my tongue: _Like the selfish pig you are!_

"Okay, so go ahead and put it up. But try to keep it quiet, eh? I need my sleep."

I bit back the answer on the top of my tongue and merely nodded. Something about this man made my temper flare, and I didn't know what. Usually when I was around selfish people, I didn't get quite as irritated as I was getting speaking with this one man. So, obviously, there was something else about him, something I couldn't see.

"Well, I'll be going up now. I'll see you around, Kaiyo!" the man cheerily said and headed into his shop, the door slamming shut behind him.

I stared at the 'closed' sign on the door for a bit before finally taking the few steps towards the large, square plank attached to the front of his shop/house.

I gently set my advertisement for the Kaemon's shop on the ground before grabbing two nails from the box; I stuck one in my mouth as I firmly held the other in place, the tip digging into the wood. Taking my other hand, I hammered away until it was tightly stuck in there but there was still room to hang something. Directly next to the first one, I repeated the process with the other.

Smiling a little to myself, I stooped down and lifted up the banner, unrolling it as I straightened myself. My finger slipped under the loop of a ribbon and I held it there. It actually wasn't all that heavy, I realized with some relief, and then hung it on the two nails.

I smiled proudly to myself as I stood there, staring at it for a bit. As I read the dark black words that I had written on it, another idea of how I could help them popped into my head.

_But first I have to take care of that other banner..._ I told myself, and took a step away from the butcher's shop. As I started walking slowly down the road, I resisted the temptation to run back to his shop, loudly wrap my knuckles on the door and shout at the top of my lungs 'I'm finished!!!'

_Stop it Kaiyo!!!_ I scolded myself. _This man, however selfish he may be, still allowed you to hang up the ad! Of course, he only decided to say yes because it might draw more business to him but...**still!**_

"Oh how I really wanted to slap him though," I whispered to myself, and was immediately ashamed afterwards. I didn't know the man, so I had no right to think poorly of him.

_But still...**NO!!**_

Hoping that running would stop the ill-wishes for the stranger from coming into my mind, I took off at ninja speed through the rest of the village until I reached Natso and Oki's home.

Silently, I slipped inside through the side door. The room I was residing in was located nearby. Despite this, I silently crept through the halls, just in case they had gone to bed early again.

I cringed as my door creaked when I tapped my toe against it. Waiting a moment and looking around, I almost allowed myself a relieved sigh. But I couldn't take the chance. I stole inside, grabbed my other banner, and then hurried back outside with the hammer, nails, and new banner.

A few hours later, I wasn't sure exactly how man, I headed back inside, completely exhausted. Not only had I hung up the banner--above their stand, might I add. And let me tell you, it **wasn't** easy--I also cleaned. Every nook and cranny of that small little stand I dusted, swept, whatever. Through the darkness, I still had been able to see it was a **huge** improvement.

As soon as I changed into some pajamas that Oki had given me, I fell back on my bed and instantaneously was asleep.

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**a/n oh would you look at that! later has already come! so what did you think? next chapter, she's leaving, a little, insignificant spoiler. I'm not telling you what else is happening next chapter though because...well, honestly, I'm not sure myself. but I know that SOON she will be in Konoha and we can all be happy. see? HAPPY! also, if any of you read Butterfly Prophecy or Cherry Blossom Kiss, this story takes place a little later on. so when Kaiyo eventually meets either Emi or Cho (not telling you which) it's closer to the Chuunin exam time. not there yet, but closer. as in the Academy students have graduated, they have teams and all. **

**okay so that kind of gave it away. oh well. you people don't know the rest of that story...**

**enough of my ramblings! I'll speak to you later!!**


	5. Leave

**a/n long time, huh? enjoy!**

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**Song of the Full Moon's Child  
Chapter Five-Leave**

At nine o'clock in the morning, I honestly would have still been asleep if it hadn't been for the scream. The one loud, sharp, interminable noise what was what woke me from my deep slumber and what kept me awake.

After sitting there lazily for a minute or two, trying to register what that noise was supposed to mean, I threw the covers off of me and ran, barefoot and in my nightdress, to where I heard the noise coming from.

After making sharp turns to get to the front door, I skidded to a halt and stared out the open doorway at Kaemon Oki. The woman stood in the center of the stand-area, holding her baby son close to her and crying.

I slowly stepped forward and gently touched her elbow. "Oki-san? What's wrong?" I gently inquired, hoping that it wasn't something about what I had done last night.

Noticing me after I said this, she wiped away the tears as best she could and weakly asked, "Did you do this?"

Immediately I suspected the worst and my heart began to race. Had I gotten rid of a family heirloom during my cleaning? Maybe a precious gift given to her by Natso, or a memento from another time? I prayed that it was nothing like that and finally, conjuring my inner-bravery managed to stutter, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do anything wrong! I just wanted to clean up a bit for you two because you're always so busy and--"

"No, no! Kaiyo, you did nothing wrong!" Oki hurriedly cut in, not wanting me to get anxious about nothing, I assumed.

"Then...why were you crying?" I asked bluntly. I didn't get it, not one bit.

Oki laughed. "Kaiyo, these are tears of happiness. What you did...it's just so great. And I have to wonder, how long did it take you to do this? When did you find the _time_? This place was _such_ a mess!"

"Last night..." I whispered, not wanting to sound self-righteous or anything.

"Last night?" Oki repeated, aghast. "You poor dear! You must be _exhausted_! Come here!"

I hesitantly did so and the woman pulled me into an embrace which I was sure did not only crush me, but the baby as well.

After several minutes, Oki released me and I backed a way to a comfortable distance. "So you're pleased with this?" I warily asked.

"Very!"

"Then why did you scream?"

"Out of shock! It isn't an every-day occurrence that you step out into your previously filthy stand to find it immaculately clean!"

"There was no dead mouse I overlooked or anything? Because it was so dark, and the candle I lit wasnt much assistance..."

"Nope! The stand is positively perfect! I can't wait until Natso sees...he'll also be thrilled."

"He hasn't seen it yet?"

"Oh, no! He's still asleep! He's been awfully tired for a long time, and it's just now hitting him, I guess. He'll be up soon, no doubt. So anyway, how much extra will we be owing your for doing this?"

I was appalled by the very idea. "Nothing! No, I just wanted to help you two out! You've been so wonderful to me the past few weeks, or however long I've been staying here. That's why with some of my money I went out to buy some supplies to make an advertisement for your shop yesterday. I also made that banner up there..."

"What banner?" Oki, baffled, asked; she furrowed her brows together and looked around to the front of the stand.

Another squeal escaped her. "You did that?! Oh, Kaiyo, I just _must_ pay you for this! It was totally unnecessary and--"

"No!" I said sharply. I didn't want to be paid for that. "I enjoyed doing it and I thought that it, along with the cleaning and advertisement in the center of town, would be a good start on paying you off for your help."

A good start--paying us off?! Kaiyo, you've helped us a great deal more than we've helped you! We were practically broke when you came; we got one or fewer customers a day, and made practically nothing in a week. Now we make a good deal more, and I'm sure that we'll be making even MORE if that advertisement you've mentioned is _half_ as good as the banner."

I blushed a considerable amount at this comment. Everyone had always complimented me on my artistic skills, but I didn't think I would ever get quite used to it.

"Thanks," I managed to mutter; I ducked my head down so that my mint green hair hung over my face, covering the noticeable tinge in my cheeks.

Oki smiled warmly at me and draped her free arm around my shoulders.

"Why did you do all of this, Kaiyo-chan?" Oki whispered into the top of my head.

I was startled by the question. Hadn't I already said? I wanted to help her and Natso out with their shop! She didn't think I had an ulterior motive, did she?

"I just wanted to help out! You two are so great, and your pottery is lovely. I just thought that you deserved more customers than you have!"

Oki seemed surprised that the act had been totally selfless. She hugged me again and then shoved me back inside saying I looked exhausted and that I should rest.

As I settled back into bed and closed my eyes to fall back asleep, I couldn't help remembering a similar scene from a few years ago, when I was still attending the Academy. I had been young and acted similarly to Oki at the incident.

_

I had been exiting the Academy of Gekkougakure four years ago. Outside Reina was waiting for me, as she often times was. My face lit up and I ran over to her, arms thrown open. 

_

Reina lifted me into the air as way of greeted and then threw me over her shoulder, leaving the difficult part of moving about so that I was **sitting** on her shoulders up to me.

"So how was class today?" Reina twisted her head around to ask me; I grinned.

"It was fun! We got to color!"

"Yeah? What did you color?"

"A map! It was a color-coded type thing! We got to color in Fire County and everything according to certain colors! Except we didn't get to look at what the colors were supposed to be for more than a minute. I think it was a memory test..."

Reina gave my ankle a gentle squeeze. "You were right. I'd say you're going to be a wonderful kunoichi, Kaiyo. You're smarter than I ever was!"

I blushed like mad and lowered my head, wishing my jaw-length hair was long enough to completely cover my cheeks.

"Want to go get some ramen? Mom and Dad are both out again, tonight, so we're on our own. And I'm sure you'd rather eat BEFORE you force me to help you practice, correct dear?"

I grinned again. "Yeah! Arigato, Reina-onee-chan!"

Without saying anything, Reina reached up and tweaked my nose. She carried me the rest of the way to the stand in silence. Looking around her head to see her expression, I noticed she was deep in thought and decided to leave her alone.

"Hey, Kaiyo dear?" Reina lifted me off of her shoulders and gently placed me on the ground

"Yes?"

She shook her head. "Never mind. Come on let's just get there."

She grabbed my wrist and tugged me to the nearest ramen stand. There we ordered and ate in silence. Disregarding, of course, the slurping of noodles as I ate the delicious pork ramen.

As we stood to leave, Reina pulled out her wallet and paid for both our meals. Grabbing my hand, she turned and was about to walk through the curtains. Something stopped her though. It was the man we had been eating alongside of. He, too, had finished his meal and was ready to pay, but he had discovered he hadn't enough money.

"Wait outside for me, Kaiyo, dear. I'll be right there," Reina whispered. She kissed the top of my head and then gently shoved me out of the stand.

I watched the scene patiently through the curtain of stranded beans. Reina slid back onto her stool and discreetly pull her wallet out again. Pulling out a wad of cash, she slid it across the counter to the man, all the while keeping her face concealed with her teal-colored hair.

"That should cover the meal," she whispered into his ears after standing, leaning. She then hurried out of the stand and grabbed my hand to pull me home.

"Why did you do that?" I panted; it was difficult keeping up with Reina. She had such long strides compared to my own.

"Do what?"

"Pay for that man's meal, of course!" I laughed at the fact she didn't know what I was talking about.

"Oh," Reina said blankly; she hesitated before continuing. "Well, I thought it was the right thing to do. Besides, it's a nice thing to help out fellow villagers, don't you think?" My older sister looked down at me and smiled brightly.

"I guess so," I uncomfortably replied.

Reina-onee-chan ruffled my bangs and left her hand resting there. I accidentally shoved it away when whirling my head to the side so I could look up at her.

"Reina-onee-chan?" I sang. "Why did you conceal your face?"

She laughed. "You noticed that, eh? Well, I didn't want him to see who it was giving him money! He might try to pay me back or something!"

"But don't you want him to pay you back?" I inquired curiously.

"No. I make enough money as a ninja and well, I didn't really find it necessary to be repaid for every trivial thing I do."

"But what if he saw you while we were eating?!" I sputtered. I wanted my sister to get her money back. She was so selfless and wonderful and I though that she deserved to be repaid.

Reina laughed again. "You like changing the subject, huh? I don't think he saw me, but if he did, oh well. I just won't accept it. Now come on! We should get back home so I can go help you!"

I looked up at my sister with big wondering eyes and thought to myself, Reina-onee-chan, I want to be more like you! 

"I really do...

"I want to be more like you, Reina-onee-chan," I whispered to myself, snuggling deeper under the thin blanket and burying my face into the pillow. Taking one final yawn, I fell asleep.

* * *

"Kaiyo. Kaiyo, please wake up!"

The urgent whisper awoke me from my sleep. Thankfully, I didn't wake with a start like I had earlier that day. Quite to the contrary, I easily took the transition between sleep and awake.

"What is it, boss?" I groggily asked; I propped myself up on my pillow with my elbows and rubbed my glazed-over eyes with balled fists.

"Good afternoon, Kaiyo-chan," Natso whispered; the grin on his face went from ear to ear, I noticed, and I suspected that he had seen what I had done.

"Or I suppose I shouldn't call you 'Kaiyo' anymore but instead Saint Kaiyo."

"Ah, so I was right. You saw it, too?"

"I did more than just see it, Kaiyo. I felt it!"

I blinked unsurely. "What?"

"I fainted."

"Well that isn't manly! You can't admit that!" I joked and playfully hit him on the arm; Natso grinned widely at me.

"I was just joking. I _nearly_ fainted--under the weight of Oki. She was sobbing to me, and I could feel it through her."

"Well, I guess that's a **little** less wimpy..."

Kaemon-san smiled again and ruffled my bangs. "Come on, kid. Get up, bathed, and dressed. Oki and I want to take you out to an early dinner."

"You mean early lunch?"

Natso shook his head and showed me a clock; I immediately shot out of bed. "Ack!! How could it already be 3:45!!!" I shrieked. I darted about the room, collecting my clothes.

"Is a bath already drawn?" I asked loudly as I headed out of the room; Natso gave a small nod. I thanked him and ran off to go get dressed.

* * *

I followed slowly behind the Kaemons as they led me to some place to eat. I self-consciously tugged at my dark gray dress as I looked around the town.

For the last time.

I had decided last night that I would be leaving. I needed to get to Konoha soon so that I could start my quest to find the murderers of my sister. I just hadn't had the guts to tell either of the Kaemons.

_But I'm going to have to_ I thought with a sigh. _I can't just leave in the middle of the night..._

"Kaiyo!" Oki sang. "We're almost there! And look! Up ahead is Ima! _Ima!_"

The woman ordained Ima looked up, smiled, and waved right back at Kaemon Oki.

"That's the woman who will be watching sweet little Shou," Oki explained, kissing the top of her baby son's name. "It's a pity you haven't met her before now, Kaiyo. She's a wonderful girl, and she's only a few years older than you! She, too, was once a ninja--a Jounin, actually--but she quit, sadly," Oki sighed. "But you'll get to know her well from here on out, don't you think?"

"Oh! Um..." Oki's words had taken me by surprise and I didn't know to act. "Sure, I guess."

Natso cast me an inquiring look and I just smiled at him, shaking me head. Subconsciously I touched the forehead protector I had tied around my thigh. That lady was barely older than me? She was a ninja?

She didn't look like it, as far as I was concerned.

"Come on, Natso!" Oki cried, looking over her shoulder as she ran forward. Natso beckoned for me to follow after him and his wife; I quickly caught up.

"Ima, I thank you again for watching Shou! It really is wonderful of you..."Oki gushed, handing her son over to the former ninja.

"It isn't a problem, Oki!" Ima responded, holding the baby close to her. "He's such a sweet little boy..."

"Yes he is...speaking of sweet, I don't believe you've met Kaiyo! Kaiyo, this is Herutsu Ima; Ima, this is Kaiyo."

"Kaiyo? Just Kaiyo?" Ima asked suspiciously; by her narrowed eyes and her tone, I already didnt like her. She didn't seem so great.

"No! It isn't _just_ Kaiyo!" I retorted, trying my very best not to sound nasty. "I just...don't want to say my last name!"

"And why is that?" Ima continued. I swear her eyes were becoming narrower and narrower with each passing second.

"Ima! Ima, it's okay. Kaiyo just doesn't like to say her family name--she isn't fond of them," Natso cut in

"Oh. I'm sorry! I spent too many years as a ninja!"

"Yes, Oki-san told me," I replied; the smile I wore was forced, and Ima could tell. Her smile wasn't exactly genuine, either. She actually seemed all the more suspicious of me after Natso's comment. I assumed she was now wondering why I didn't like my family.

"I'm also a ninja--from Gekkougakure."

"Gekkougakure?" Ima repeated disbelievingly. "What are you doing all the way over _here_ if you're from Gekkougakure? That's miles away!"

"I was heading towards Konoha."

"What for? The Chuunin Exams? You know that you need a three-man team to enter, don't you?"

"Yes. I mean, yes I know that, but I wasn't heading there for the Chuunin exams..."

"Then what for?" Ima's furrowed brows suddenly relaxed and a look of realization dawned on her pinched face. "No way! You're the runaway ninja!"

"What?"

"Yeah. I just heard about a Genin who ran away in the middle of the night from that village. It was big news. They said she was some sort of prodigal ninja or whatever. Said her older sister--and the rest of her family, as well as several other villagers--said she was blessed by the Full Moon or something."

"Nani?" I, baffled, questioned. Suddenly though, I remembered.

_"You know, Kaiyo, you're very lucky," a twelve-year-old Reina said as she and I sat near the pond. It was far into the night hours, but we had no intention of leaving. _

"Why?" I inquired, sitting up and staring at her with interest.

"Because the Full Moon is always watching you..."

"You know perfectly well what it is I am talking about," Ima smugly replied. "Anyway! As soon as you went missing, people were sent after you. Whole squads, actually. I suppose they're scared you'll get killed and you won't be their hero. Or maybe they're even scared you want to leave them. I don't know--all I know is that you're being searched for."

"Well thanks for telling me," I said and turned towards Natso and Oki. "Should we go have dinner now?"

"Yes! Yes, of course!" Oki exclaimed, clapping her hands together. She was obviously flustered although she was trying to hide that face.

"Thank you again Ima-chan," Natso politely said. He draped his arm over his wife's shoulders and then put his hand on my back, guiding us both along so that we could reach the restaurant faster.

"I'm sorry about the way Ima was acting," Oki said to me after a while, leaning forward so that she could see my face. "I've never seen her that way before!"

"Oh, it's okay! But I'm really not hungry anymore--maybe we shouldn't have dinner. I wouldn't want you to waste your money..."

"Nonsense!" Oki insisted. "We don't mind wasting money on you, isn't that right Natso?"

"That's true...but I think Kaiyo's right. We shouldn't go to dinner."

"Why not?" Oki and I said at the same time; Natso didn't know me reasoning, so why did he agree with me?

"Well Kiyo said so and--"

"--and because I need to tell you two something!" I interrupted and ran in front of the two. "Last night I decided--I'm leaving. I really need to get to Konoha, and what Ima-san said just made me decide that it really was right."

"What--why?!" the two middle-aged people indignantly exclaimed.

"Because...I need to...avenge my sister, and the best place to start is Konoha."

"What happened to your sister?" Natso gently asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. I swallowed hard and forced myself to look up.

"She was murdered," I said darkly, "because she was a member of the Tomi clan."

"The...Tomi clan?"

I gave a sad nod. "Yes, the noblest clan in my entire village. Her murderers wanted money and to learn the secret of our clan, but they never learned it." The laugh I produced was hollow. "They actually intended on killing me, at first, because I guess they heard of that Moon thing, which I never really knew about, but Reina-onee-chan took it for me...in fact, she insisted. No matter what I said, she would not allow for me to be the one murdered, because there was no way out of the situation, you see. It was either her, me, or the entire village. Neither of us was willing for that to happen."

"That's horrible!" Oki balled, clutching to Natso's upper arm with her stubby nails.

I heaved a sigh and ran a newly cleansed hand through my long hair. "I don't really want to talk about it," I murmured. "Can we just...go back to the house? I am _Really_ sorry about all of this."

"Of course," Natso said gently. He extended his free hand and grabbed my wrist, tugging me towards him. Draping that one arm over my shoulder he brought me close to him and then directed both his wife and I back to the house.

"We'll get Shou later," Natso-kun said as we approached the stand he and Oki owned. "For now..." He glanced over at me and smiled sympathetically. "For now we'll help you get ready to leave."

"Arigato," I whispered. I pried myself from Kaemon-san's arm and slipped through the open doorway of the Kaemon residence.

Oki and Natso stayed outside. I leaned against the wall right by the door and slid down to listen as they spoke.

"What kind of people do you think are after Kaiyo?" Oki whispered.

"Probably only people hoping to bring her back."

"But..."

"Oki! Do you really think she lied? Do you think she's trying to escape from the law?"

"Well she never told us anything about herself!" Oki hissed

"The whole thing upsets her! Because of her name her sister was murdered!"

"But Natso--"

"No! You should just trust her! She's a good kid. You've _seen_ that!"

"I still wish she'd tell us more about herself."

"What more do we need to know?"

* * *

I had run back to my room after that and began throwing my few items in my bag. The only thing I handled carefully was the box of colored pencils. My finger traced over the engraving of the moon as I placed it into my bag.

Just as I slung the duffel over my shoulder, the door to my room was thrown open. Natso entered smiling at me.

"Konichiwa Kaiyo-chan," he greeted as he made his way over to me. He suddenly stopped and looked around. The room was very empty looking without all of my items draped over the corners of furniture. His eyes flickered towards me suddenly and he looked me up and down, stopping on the duffel.

"So you're already packed?"

"Yup. It wasn't that hard to get ready," I said breathlessly. Self-consciously I tugged at the hem of my dress. "I didn't bring much with me. It's easier to travel with a light load."

"I agree with you there."

Bending down I stared out the window and up at the sky. Evening was quickly closing in on us. Straightening myself, I smoothed down the front of my dress and grabbed Natso's elbow.

"I want to show you and Oki-san something," I declared. The man allowed me to drag him outside where we called for Oki who, after dealing with a customer, closed the stand and quickly followed.

I first led them to the town center and showed them the advertisement I had made. Both seemed rather pleased by it. Oki teared up again and I had to lead them away before she started balling.

Then I took the two Kaemons away from the town and to the field I had drawn the banner and ad. in the day before.

A gentle breeze tickled the tall grass as we slowed down. I let go of their elbows and turned to face them.

"Oki, I know you don't trust me anymore so I'll tell you anything you want to know."

The middle-aged woman's face flushed in embarrassment and she stared down at her feet. Natso sighed and said, "You heard that, huh?"

"Yes I did. And I guess I understand why you don't trust me. I just really thought that, during the time I've spent here, you'd learned enough about me to know that I'm not a bad person. I thought that was enough."

"Oh, Kaiyo! It **is** enough!" Oki burst, throwing her arms around me. "I'm sorry I doubted you for a second! It's just...Ima is so good at making people suspicious of others! She made me wonder why you didn't like your family, why you never spoke about where you were from or anything! She even made me wonder why you never showed us any of your ninja moves!"

"But she said nothing about ninja moves..." Natso--quite "helpfully"--pointed out.

"Exactly!" Oki exclaimed, She removed her arms from me and stepped back. "Please forgive me Kaiyo-chan."

I smiled at her. "Of course."

_She's so different from how she used to be,_ I thought to myself, taking a step back and dropping my duffel bag on the ground.

"Do you two want to know why I don't like my family? My mom and my dad are both just horrible people. Barely anyone likes them and they don't even like _each other_. I left my village because I want to avenge my sister--that's the only reason. I'm not running from the law or anything. The people after me, I'm sure, just want me to return. My mom always **Was** over-protective of me. And as for ninja techniques...stand back..."

I took another few steps back myself and began quickly performing hand seals, ending in a seal that left my palms pressed against each other with fingers going in opposite directions.

"_Suta-Kirameki no Jutsu_!" I bellowed. Immediately a shimmering light surrounded me. It could easily blind someone even far away so, before continuing with the special attack, I called out to the Kaemons, "CLOSE YOUR EYES!!"

"_Kaze Arashi no jutsu!_"

Everything around me began to spin, including the blinding light of the million stars that surrounded me. Keeping my eyes lightly closed I grabbed two shurikens from out of my pouch I kept at my hips. "_Ishi Tomoshibi_!"

The light instantly hardened and flew away from the spinning wind and shot in all directions. I put my hand forward and placed the weapons I had pulled from my pouch into the wind; they too shot outward and I somehow managed to hear the 'thunk' as they lodged themselves into trees.

The wind ended and I stumbled forward. Natso and Oki looked extremely impressed. I smiled weakly; that moved always drained me of energy.

"That was wonderful!" Oki exclaimed.

"Thanks," I tiredly replied. I bent down and lifted one of the light stones from the grass. It was a miracle none of them had hit anyone.

"Here--have this. The light doesnt burn out ever. Or at least not for a long time. They've never burned out for me."

I handed the stone to Natso and then lifted another to give to Oki. That was when an idea struck me.

"How about you keep those two and take all the others to sell. I'm one of the only people from my village that can pull off that move, and it originated in my village. It's a very rare stone...it would be worth a lot, I'm sure!"

"Um, alright?"

I looked up at the sky again and sighed. "I really must be going. Thank you _so much_ for everything!"

"It was no problem. We liked having you around!" Natso exclaimed.

I smiled weakly. "I liked being around. I just really have to go."

"We'll walk you to the gate," Oki offered.

* * *

I stood at the gate facing the Kaemons. Natso walked forward and hugged me.

"I'll visit!" I assured them. I had to look over Natso-kun's shoulder in order to see the misty-eyed Oki. "And tell Shou I say good-bye!"

"Will do!" Oki said. "I'm sorry I doubted you, again!"

"Don't worry about it, didn't I already say that!" I pulled away from Natso and knelt down beside my bag. From it I pulled out a pouch and tossed it at the man.

"What's this?" he questioned.

As of he didn't know.

Shaking my head I said, "Never mind. Just keep it. I really will miss you guys."

"We'll miss you, too!" Oki cried.

"I'll write you guys when I get to Konoha!"

"You better! First thing you do!"

I nodded. "Promise."

"Be safe, will you?" Natso, just like a father, ordered. He peered down at me with his tired eyes and I felt like crying.

Why couldn't _they_ be my parents?

"I will. Sayonara! It was great! Thank you so much for all you did!"

Not waiting for them to say anything, afraid I'd cry if I did, I sprinted off into the darkening forest.

_Konoha, here I come!_

I felt sadder than I expected to be thinking that fact, but I ignored it. They understood my mission and I understood theirs.

Saying good-bye, no matter how permanent or temporary, was not my strong suite.

* * *

**  
a/n please review!!! I slaved over this chapter, and I wish it was appreciated. anyway! until next time!**


	6. Figures

a/n yeah, here's the next chapter. hope you enjoy :) oh and I feel weird for using song lyrics from an ACTUAL song in here

* * *

**Song of the Full Moon's Child  
Chapter Six--Figures**

It had barely been a day since I left the lodging town when I noticed two figures jumping from branch to branch in the forest I ran alongside. It was while I was sitting down, resting and having a bite to eat, that I noticed them.

They were a little ways in so I couldn't very well make out their features. Plus they were moving quickly so all I could really make out was a body being there.

As I bit into a race ball, I thought nothing of it. They were probably headed towards Konoha, too. After all it was a very popular place and I knew I was close to getting there, so they probably were too. Of course there was always the possibility of them heading somewhere else, but I didnt' bother to think that far.

My mind was concentrated on only one thing: Konoha. Of course I was also thinking about revenge for my sister, but that was in the back of my mind. In order for that to happen I had to start at Konoha where I could grow strong.

And who knows, I might find the assassins there. They could have originated from there. But also, I knew that there were many blood-limits and special people in that Hidden Village.

_What better place to start the search? _I asked myself as I sipped at the water Natso had given me when I left the day before along with food.

It was only when I finished eating and started moving again that I considered another possibility for what those two figure were--searchers. What if Tsukikage had sent those people after me?

_Am I...oh no! Am I now a missing-nin?!_ I, worried, asked myself. I couldn't be a missing nin!! That would just mess everything up!

_Maybe I should have thought this through better...I mean, maybe Tsukikage would have let me go if only I'd asked._

As much as the young man liked me and Reina-onee-chan, I sincerely doubted it. He'd want someone older with more experience to take care of that. Not a simple twelve-year-old Genin like myself.

"Calm down, Kaiyo. They're probably just travelers," I tried to convince myself; it didn't work too well.

Every time I caught sight of the pair so far away in the trees my stomach plummeted. I felt suddenly sick, like I'd throw up everything I had just swallowed down.

But then they disappeared from my view and I was calm again. I stopped running and decided to just walk for a little bit.

"This may never start..." I hoarsely sang to myself. "We could fall apart...and not be your memory. Lost your sense of fear...feelings insincere..."

I stopped all movement and noises very suddenly; I felt a lump forming in my throat.

_Reina-onee-chan sang that song...a lot..._

Ever since I left the lodging village I had been in an even more emotional state than usual. The tiniest things could set me off, and that song was one of them.

I swallowed down the sob that was choking me and kept walking, wiping my mint-green eyes with the back of my hand.

_Strong, be strong. You'll never defeat those **murderers** if you break down at every single little thing! _I shouted at myself; but it was hard to listen.

I never had been at holding back emotions.

_But I **will** get better! _I assured myself. If I was to be a good ninja, I needed to do that.

"Onee-chan!" I sobbed, placing a filthy hand to my house to choke it back. I stumbled along the path I walked, eyes becoming blurred with tears.

"I never did get to go on that mission with you," I whispered after a few moments. It was after I tripped over a rock that I remembered.

_I walked alongside my older sister as we both ate Gekkougakure apples peacefully. We were cutting through back-roads of our town to get to our destination--the Tsukikage's office. _

I was ten at the time and Reina was fifteen. She smiled down at me, ruffling my short mint-green hair.

I scowled although secretly I always liked when she did that. Smoothing down my hair I said bitterly, "I'm ten now, onee-chan. You don't have to treat me like a kid."

Reina rolled her eyes but made no comment. Both she and I were silent until we had climbed up the steep steps leading to the Tsukikages office and we stood before the large double doors.

Reina rapped her knuckles on the beautiful wood and waited for a response; slowly the doors were pulled open, revealing endless corridors lined with bright torches. Two Jounin greeted Reina and me; outside I would think of them as large people, but standing beside the mighty front doors they looked like little dolls.

"Reina-san; Kaiyo-sama! Please, come in!" one Jounin greeted in high spirits. Both stepped aside, although it wasnt really very necessary, and let Reina and me pass.

"You're here to see Tsukikage-sama, correct?"

"That's the only reason Im ever here, isn't it?" Reina said with a small smile; the two Jounin laughed as if she had some sort of joke and then let us continue onward.

I listened as our footsteps echoed through the marble halls. I stared at my reflection in the shiny-floor as we walked towards the Kage's office.

The office was large and located at the very back of the building. The doors leading into the grand room were smaller than the entrance doors but still unnecessarily large.

Reina stuck her hand out and hesitated before knocking.

The doors creaked open, revealing a large circular office; the walls were lined with tall bookcases. The Tsukikage kept so many books it was difficult to fit them all.

"Reina-san! Kaiyo-sama! It's good to see you!" the Jounin who had pulled the door open greeted. The woman smiled at the two and then exited the office, closing the doors behind her without much difficulty, despite their weight.

Reina stepped towards the large desk covered with all sorts of files and papers, smiling brightly at the Tsukikage. I hovered behind her, smiling slightly myself; even though both she and I were friends with the leader of our village, Reina was much better friends with the man. I was a little unsure about the subject I came to address with my sister, and it didn't help that I was already a little awkward around people older than me.

"Reina! Kaiyo-chan! Please, come sit!" the young Tsukikage amiably demanded. Both she and I stepped forward and sat in the suggested seats. I fidgeted as I waited for Reina to begin the conversation.

"Tsukikage-sama," Reina-onee-chan politely addressed.

"Tsukikage-sama...have you betrayed me?" I whispered to myself; there was a twinge in my heart. My hands immediately shot to my chest and gripped at my heart.

Was I homesick or did I feel guilty for running away? I never could tell the difference between the different twinges in my heart.

"What happened after that again?" I mumbled to myself, allowing my hands to slowly slip away from my chest; they fell limp at my sides. "Oh yes, I remember..."

_"Tsukikage-sama," Reina-onee-chan politely addressed; she gently placed one of her hands on the man's polished desk. _

"Reina! Please, you don't have to be so formal!"

"When we're in the office I feel I _do_ Tsukik--"

"Ah-buh-buh-buh!" Tsukikage sand, a smile on his lips; he pressed a large hand over my sister's mouth and winked discreetly at me. "No formal names, please. Kaiyo-chan, teach her."

"How?"

The man smiled at me again. "You know how," he persisted; he cast me a look that stated he wanted me to be informal.

I struggled; I, like Reina, was just so used to using his formal name in the office. "Seishirou," I finally managed to sputter.

The Tsukikage laughed slightly at me before grinning and removing his hand from my sister's mouth.

"There we go! See, it wasn't that hard!" Seishirou, with some difficulty since it wasnt all that true, said.

Reina cocked an eyebrow. "Liar!" she joked. "And how come you can preach about using 'informal' names and yet you call Kaiyo, 'Kaiyo-chan.'"

Both she and I thought she won with that comment, but apparently Tsukikage-same had an even better come back than that.

"You call _that_ formal? I feel like I don't know you anymore Reina!" he said with a surprisingly straight face. "And at least I don't call her 'Kaiyo-sama' like most everyone else!"

"Yeah, I've been wondering why that is," I interjected.

Reina and Seishirou looked at me uneasily.

"We'll talk about that _later_, Kaiyo sweetie," Reina, casting looks at Tsukikage-sama, managed to get out.

"Have you ever talked about that with her before?" Tsukikage-sama whispered; Reina shrugged.

"I've touched base on it a few years ago, but she didn't understand what I meant."

"Oh."

"I still don't really understand," I said with a hollow laugh. "But you aren't here to explain it to me."

_"You know, Kaiyo, you're very lucky," a twelve-year-old Reina said as she and I sat near the pond. It was far into the night hours, but we had no intention of leaving. _

"Why?" I inquired, sitting up and staring at her with interest.

"Because the Full Moon is always watching you..."

"Ima-san didn't explain it at all, though she made me remember what you said."

My thoughts suddenly darkened when I thought of Ima. I didn't like her very much at all. She was rude and suspicious. And there was something else about her that jut made me dislike her. She didn't like me either, so I didn't feel at all guilty about my feelings towards her.

"Hopefully I won't see her next time I go back to that town," I whispered. "Oki and Natso seem to like her, though, so it seems inevitable." I heaved a sigh. If I was to visit the Kaemon's regularly, I'd just have to get used to the ex-ninja's presence.

"I wonder what made her quit being a kunoichi?" I wondered. I didn't dwell on it too long though for my thoughts wandered back to the day at the Tsukikage's office

_"Well, try to do that soon," Tsukikage-sama ordered with a sigh; the 22-year-old sat back in his chair and stared idly about his office. _

"So anyway! What did you two lovely ladies come here to talk about?"

Reina looked over at me and smiled. "Seishirou, we can with a proposition."

"Oh? Of what kind?"

"It involves Kaiyo, me, and danger."

"I'm listening."

"Well, we were wondering if maybe sometime soon, like before she graduates from the Academy--this could be soon due to her excellent grades--if she could go on a mission with me and maybe one other Chuunin."

"You know that would be dangerous--"

"I **did** say it involves danger!" Reina interrupted.

"Yes, I know. But a mission on your level?"

"No! On Chuunin level!"

"Oh, are you saying you're better than Chuunin level?"

"Um, yeah! And you know it, too!"

I laughed slightly to myself. It was true; Reina was easily recognized as one of the top ninjas in the village, even if she was still only a Chuunin.

"I'll consider it," Seishirou said lazily after a long hesitation. "But first I'd like to know the purpose of this...erm...**exercise**."

Reina-onee-chan looked over at me; it was my turn.

"Well, Seishirou-san, I learn better with hands-on stuff and the field-sessions we get are too easy for me. So we think that if I got the chance to, say, protect a person from bandits while bringing them back to their house, I might get more experience."

"Hm. Very well practiced, Kaiyo," the Tsukikage said with a laugh. "But you two have some good reasoning. I definitely will consider it. Of course I'll have to take it up with the council...I can't allow special privileges just because we're friends."

"We know," Reina-onee-chan and I said in a solemn unison.

"Kaiyo...you know you could already be a ninja. It isn't my fault--or anyone else's on the council--that you don't want to graduate before your friends! And we can't make you, although you clearly think we can which **must** be the reason you now slack off in class!"

Reina sent me a surprised look and I sheepishly ducked my head to avert my gaze.

"Yes, that's the truth Reina," Seishirou said grimly, shaking his head in disapproval. "There's nothing I can do about that either, though. I just wish she wouldn't. But anyway! I have other affairs to attend to, so if you two are finished..."

"Yes, Tsukikage-sama!" my sister and I simultaneously said as we stood.

"Thank you, again. I'll see you later tonight, Reina?"

"Hai!"

And with that done, we left.

"I wish I woukd get that chance...but it's gone forever now."

Although I was finished with that reminiscence, I was still in a trance. That's the reason why, as I trudged along the wide dirt path, I didn't notice the kunai knife fly towards me.

Just in time I took a step forward and the knife lodged itself in the trunk of a tree on the side opposite the way it came. Even though it missed me, I was still brought to attention. I searched the surrounding area, wild-eyed, in an attempt to find the person behind the knife.

It proved futile.

So, keeping my guard up, I continued onward.

* * *

Dark was falling when the next incident happened. I was settling down in an alcove of trees for the night, thinking it would provide protection against the unknown. Placing my bag on my lap, I began to rummage through it to find some food to eat before I fell asleep.

As I pulled out a plastic container filled with rice balls and set it on the ground, something hard slammed into the back of my head.

I jerked forward, mint-green eyes watering. I put a hand to the spot where I was hit and bit my lower lip.

_That hurt!_ I cried inside my head, rubbing the spot; no doubt a bump would form there later on.

Like earlier, when a kunai was thrown at me, I looked around to find the person who threw it, but found nothing. I didnt feel like searching any further than eye-range anyway.

So, I took a rice ball from the container and went to bite into it. As soon as I saw the object thrown at me sitting, glowing in the moonlight somewhat, on the ground, I dropped the rice ball, too in shock to eat.

An apple.

But not just _any_ apple...it was a special apple.

From Gekkougakure.

I picked it up and tossed it from hand to hand. Just seeing it filled me with a sense of home. I loved the cold feel of it against my skin.

I loved everything about it. To me, the apple was more than just an irregular apple from my home village...it was special; more special than the apples usually were.

Yes, I loved everything about that apple. Except the sense of dread it filled me with. This apple was only ever found in **my** village which meant...

Whoever threw it at me was from Gekkougakure, which meant they were after me. It was probably the two figures I had seen in the woods beside me.

_Tsukikage-sama...he's sent them after me!_ I cried inside my head. I felt like pelting the apple back towards the direction it came but something compelled me not to. Instead I threw the apple in my bag and warily looked at my surrounding.

_He must know why I left. Why would he try to bring me back?_

I angrily threw the closed container of rice balls into my bag as well, my eyes always watching the direction the apple came from. They had probably moved since then, but I hadn't noticed.

I stood and swung the bag over my shoulder. I needed to get moving again--who cared about rest? Who cared about the dark? I needed to escape my stalkers.

I turned on my heels, prepared to set off again, but two figures standing just a few feet away stopped me.

"Konichiwa, _Kaiyo-sama_."

* * *

**a/n reviews appreciated. :) but anyway! thanks for reading! who do you think the figures are? what do you think's gonna happen?!**


	7. Teammates

**a/n **okay, so here it is: Chapter seven!make sure you go back to look at the sixth chapter. not just because it's been ages, but because I added to it. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I LEFT OUT THE PART I REALLY WNATED THERE!!! WHAT'S MY PROBLEM?! ARGH!!!

* * *

**Song of the Full Moon's Child **

**Chapter Seven--Teammates**

I stared at the girl who had spoken in utter disbelief. There was no way..._**no way**_ Tsukikage had sent **them** after me!

"Nori?" I croaked out. I didn't notice as my bag slid from my shoulders and fell to the ground. I just continued staring at the two, eyes wide as saucers. "Washi?"

"'Sup?" the boy asked. He threw another blue Gekkougakure apple at me, a goofy grin on his face.

I caught the apple and placed it with the other in my bag. "What are you two doing here?" I insisted, cutting right to the chase.

"Good to see you, too," the girl ordained Nori said sarcastically.

"I'm just surprised is all," I choked. I couldn't tear my eyes from their familiar faces. "And a bit suspicious," I added after a moment.

Washi's smile faded and he ran a hand through his spiky, light brown hair. Neither he nor Nori said anything, and I kept staring at them, hoping one would crack and give an explanation for their presence.

"Come on," Nori finally whispered. "Let's talk."

I couldn't honestly say I wanted to. There was something bad about what she had to say-I could sense it. I knew why they had come, and it made me resent them. They, of all people, should understand why I had left. Them and Tsukikage-sama.

However, I agree, and the three of us took a seat in the alcove I was preparing to leave. I felt foolish as I did it; I should be escaping. I should be running so fast that they couldn't catch up. I _shouldnt_ be sitting down with them, offering them food as I was doing.

"Why are you guys here?" I asked again; Washi changed the subject.

"You wouldn't believe the trouble we had in finding you," he informed me, his mouth quite full of rice. "We didn't really expect you to be headed in this direction, so we kinds got lost at first. Konoha, huh?"

I didn't answer, just sat there on my knees, my fingers clutching at my dark-gray dress. Nori observed me with her bright brown eyes as she nibbled at the rice ball I had given her.

"Where did you go first?" I inquired.

"...Some country on the other side of Gekkougakure," she replied slowly. "We remembered you and Reina speaking of it a lot, so we though...maybe..."

"But no one had seen you there, so we went the other way, figuring that Tsukikage-sama was right in saying that you had gone to get revenge, and not to live in memories," Washi piped in.

"And what better place to go then one of the most prominent Ninja villages in the world?" Nori asked lightly. "We went straight there, but it turns out, that wasnt exactly what you had done. So we retraced our steps back, and asked about you in villages that seemed like good pit-stops. We got little information, except early this morning..."

"We stopped at a Tourist Village," Washi continued. "And apparently, after asking around, people had seen a lot of you, but none seemed to know where you had gone. Until..."

_No! _I screamed in my head, knowing what was coming. _The Kaemons wouldn't! They must have known they were going to take me back to the Village! _.

"There was a middle aged couple," the boy continued, "with a son. I showed them a picture of you and Nori, the most recent we could find, and asked if they had seen you recently. They thought I was talking about Nori, at first, and the woman said, 'Why, she's right over there!' and pointed at where Nori stood asking someone else. When I told her I meant you, she and her husband went very silent." He took another bite of his rice ball and left Nori to continue to story. I sat listening, horrified. No, they wouldn't have. They knew how important it was for me to get to Konoha!

"They were unwilling to give any information on where you went. They seemed to be under the impression that we went there to 'capture' you and bring you back home."

"And were they right?" I croaked.

Nori looked down at her white skirt and began picking at it uncomfortable. My mint green eyes never left her, but she didn't waver. So, I turned to Washi, the more easily persuaded of the two.

He cracked, just as I had expected he would.

"Yes," he admitted reluctantly. "Tsukikage-sama felt that, if friends came after you, you would be more likely to come back. He said that if you weren't back soon, _he_ would come looking, which I assume he has already done now."

I got to my feet and stared down at them. Silently, I picked up my bag and began walking off.

"No!" Nori cried. "No, don't go! Please, Kaiyo! Please, _come home! _. You don't need to do this!"

I looked back at her, my eyes stone-cold. "That place is no home of mine," I retorted. "The Tomi clan has betrayed me. And the village..." I trailed off. "No."

Washi leapt to his feet and ran over to me, grabbing my arm roughly. "Kaiyo," he whispered hoarsely. His hands felt so warm against my pale arms. is gray eyes searched mine, a frown on his face. "Please?"

I shook off his hand. "I can't let you guys--or anybody--take me back there until I avenge my sister!" I snarled.

"But Kaiyo--" Nori objected, jumping to her feet.

"No!" I snapped. "Tell them you couldn't find me. I'm going now!"

"Can't we just talk about this for a minute! We're _teammates_ remember! We're supposed to discuss before we act. We're supposed to work _together_!"

I sighed. "I'm not going back," I whispered. "I'm not."

"Then let's come up with a compromise," Nori suggested, reasonable as ever. She dragged Washi and I back to the alcove and sat back down, careful to make sure the skirt of her outfit covered up her blue shorts.

Washi rolled up the sleeves of his jacket and stared expectantly at Nori. I could tell that they hadn't discussed any sort of compromise earlier, and he wanted to see what she was talking about.

"Okay, so how would this work for you? The _three_ of us go to Konoha together. We enter the Chuunin exams--"

"You need a sensei to do that, though, and ours is back in Gekkougakure," Washi interrupted, earning a glare from Nori.

"_We'll figure that out, _" she said through gritted teeth. "Anyway, as I was saying. We'll enter the Chuunin exams, which will help you get stronger. Once those are over, we will stay for a little bit, train, look for those guys, and then return to Gekkougakure."

"But--"I began to object, but Nori interrupted.

"No buts. I'm not finished. In Gekkougakure we will train some more--_together_, and every once in a while, we will _ask permission_ to go to Konoha or wherever. Sound reasonable?"

"Not particularly," I sniffed.

Nori sighed. "It's either that, or we return to Gekkougakure _immediately_."

"You guys can't make me!"

At this, Washi pulled roped from his bag--and not just any ropes. They were indestructible ropes that his father made especially for him. After that was out, eh carefully extracted a dart, boxed up, from his bag.

"We could," he said, taking the dart from the box and coiling the rope up. "If we really wanted--or needed--to."

I bit my lower lip. I had seen what happened to people who were poked with one of Washi's darts. It wasn't pleasant. And I imagined the rope would hurt a lot, too. I knew, too, that if they really tried, they could get me in tied up with it, even if I ran.

Plus I could do with the company on my mission.

"...Okay," I said with a resigned sigh. "I agree."

"Good!" Nori chirped--quite out of character--as she adjusted the netted shirt she wore beneath her blue-and-white dress.

"Let's get some rest, first though," Washi suggested. He peeled off his teal colored jacket, fluffed it, and used it as a pillow on the ground. "I'm beat."

Nori and I slowly lay down too. I hadn't really realized how tired I was until they got there. Probably because I was so set on escaping from them.

"Should someone stay up to keep watch?" Nori yawned; her eyes were already shut and she was half-asleep.

"No," I mumbled, positioning my head just right on my backpack; Washi was already asleep. "We'll be fine."

"I hope so."

"Yeah..."

She didn't reply again, and I knew she was asleep. Just as I was drifting off, a thought occurred to me: what if they were setting me up? What if there really was no compromise and they were going to take me back while I slept.

_No_, a voice in the back of my mind said. _They wouldn't..._

* * *

And with that, I fell asleep. 

That night, I had a dream. Or rather, a memory replayed itself in my head as I slept. It was odd, because I don't even remember the event ever happening, but there it was.

_Reina and I stood outside the school building, watching as my classmates were picked up. It was the first day of lessons, and I had decided that I wanted to show her something. _

"What is it?" Reina-onee-chan would ask over and over again. All I would do was tug on her hand, shake my head, and say: "Not yet. You'll see!"

And then they walked out. I tugged on Reina's hand hard and pointed excitedly at the two people who had walked out of the building: Washi and Nori.

"There, there!" I squealed, much to the confusion of my older sister.

"What is it?"

"Nori and Washi!" I said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"The little boy and girl?" Reina asked, confused.

"Hai! Hai!"

"Well...what about them?"

"I want them to be my teammates!" I grinned up at her, my eyes shimmering. My sister just laughed and ruffled my short hair.

"Why them?"

"They're so nice! I sat next to them today!"

And I did. I got exactly what I wanted--that time. And I was glad I did. Washi and Nori...they were the best teammates a person could ask for. They balanced each other out, they were...fun.

In a way, I loved them. But even with this compromise, if I had to, I would leave them. Nothing _nothing_ was more important to me then finding my sisters murderers and sending them to their graves.

I tried not to think about it; it made my stomach queasy.

And then there was another memory, one I did remember but had pushed back in my mind.

"Ready to go?"

The voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and the 'dreams' rushed back to the farthest-most corners of my mind.

My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself staring into the smiling gray eyes of Washi. I felt something tight around my shoulders, and for a moment, I feared that they had, indeed tied me up.

But when I looked down it was just Washi's coat draped over me to keep me warm.

"Why...?" I asked blankly.

"You were shivering," he answered with a simple shrug. "So are you ready? Nori is antsy to get going."

Just like her. Always in a hurry, always serious about her 'kunoichi duties'.

"To...?"

"Konoha, of course!" Washi laughed., A curious look came over his face. "Hey...what were you dreaming about?"

"...Why?"

"Well...I heard you say my name in the middle of the night. That's when I put my coat on you."

"Oh. I was just...remembering something."

Washi's warm smile fell just a little. "Oh? What was it?"

"The first day _ever_ of the ninja...lessons."

Washi furrowed his brow. "What happened then?"

"Well..." I began hesitantly, sitting up and running a hand through my messy long hair. "At the end of the day, I was telling..._someone_ about how I wanted you and Nori as my Genin partners."

"Reina?" he whispered sadly. Sometimes it seemed like he took her murder worse than I did. Of course, I never saw him bawling or anything, but when her name came up, a misty, distracted look came over his face and he got all sad and wouldn't talk to me.

"Yeah," I whispered back, biting my lip.

"Come **on** you two!" Nori shouted impatiently.

"Coming!" Washi replied. He looked back at me and a lopsided smile came onto his face. "Looks like you got your wish," he said. "Now I understand you wanting _me_ on your team, but **her**?!"

I smiled slightly back, and Washi's grin grew. "Come on," he said, extending a dirty hand for me to take. I hesitated before accepting and, after I quickly put my backpack back on and gave Washi his jacket back, we were off.

_Konohagakure--here we come!_


	8. Control

**Song of the Full Moon's Child  
Chapter Eight--Control**

We had been terribly wrong in believing that from there on out, it would be a free path straight to Konoha. Ha. Like that would happen. As it turned out, Konoha was far more popular than we gave it credit for. People were going towards it from all directions, and just as many people were going away from it.

But _those_ people weren't the problem. The problem came a little while after the first set of people past by us...

It was around high noon; the sun was beating down on us as we hurried along. It had been a long day. We had been traveling since early morning with barely four hours of sleep to energize us. I felt my eyelids drooping as I ran alongside my teammates. They didn't look too good, either. Washi looked as if his jacket was weighing him down. He ran half the time with his eyes closed, and I wondered if her was sleeping and merely moving on instinct. When he snored, I knew I was right and quickly jumped closer to him to give him some support. It made moving even harder, but at least then I didn't have to worry about him falling down to the forest floor, so far below.

"Are you sure you've got him?" Nori asked, frowning in my direction. I nodded slowly, tugging him closer to me as he began to droop.

"Why is he so tired? Even you and I aren't asleep on our feet!" I called over to her.

Nori shrugged. "He hasn't slept well since we set out, really. He's been so concerned about you ever since you disappeared..." Nori sighed, smiling sadly at the image of the light-haired boy. "He would wake me up, sometimes, wide awake, and ask if it was okay if we continued on. Of course we never got far on the occasion that I said yes, because we'd both become exhausted and need to sleep. And then, when we finally found a lead as to where you were...well, he wouldn't sleep then, either! Even though he was practically dead on his feet, he dragged me off, insisting we find you before we sleep. He's so stubborn." She stared at him rather fondly, her deep brown eyes shimmering. A loving sort of smile took possession of her lips.

I felt awkward witnessing such an expression--like I was imposing. I had never seen Nori's face so totally open before...It wasn't as if she was an extremely private sort of person, but her face was always controlled. She knew what she wanted to have displayed, and what she wanted to keep to herself. And _this_ was the sort of thing she always tried to keep to herself. **Always**. If Nori had ever loved someone, she had made it so that, if you looked at her, it would seem as if she were almost indifferent towards them...But here she was, an open book with all her emotions on display.

"Nori?" I asked, swallowing on the saliva forming in my mouth. "How do you...What do you think of Washi?"

Nori stared curiously at me, the loving look completely gone and replaced with confusion. It happened so quickly it was hard to comprehend. How could someone switch feelings so quickly? In the blink of an eye...

"Well, I don't know if I know what you mean. He's persistent, funny, nice, kind of...annoying at times, but a good person, likeable, stubborn."

"No, Nori. I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how _did_ you mean it? Like what do I think of him as a ninja? He's pretty decent. Kind of cocky though. He thinks he's better than it is, you know. Arrogant. And that often gets in the way of his performance, but he gets the job done, and most of the time, it's a job well done!"

"**No**, Nori. That wasn't what I meant either. What I was asking was..."

Of course, _that_ was when Washi decided that he had had enough sleep and that he could move on his own once again. At first he buried his face in my neck as he woke, mumbling to himself. And he started to grab my loose, dirty hair, gently, bringing it close to his face. I took a deep breath, trying to ignore him, but it was difficult. "Just, hang on Nori. Let me see...Washi? Are you awake?" I stopped on a branch and turned to stare at him. Slowly, his eyelids lifted, revealing familiar dark grey eyes.

He smiled at me at first, his eyes glazed over a bit. I smiled unsurely back, and that was when he realized what he was doing, where he was.

"Oh!" he sprang back, nearly falling over the side of the branch. My heart flipped in my chest and I immediately reached out to grab him before he could fall. Nori jumped to my side, quick as a wink, and helped me reel him back in.

"Careful," she warned lightly, a smile twitching on her lips as she stared at our male teammate. "It's a long drop down."

Washi paled as he peered over the edge. I looked over, too, and my eyes began to swim. The objects looked unclear. Imagine if he had fallen...if _I_ had fallen...

I shuddered and looked away. It was too terrible to even think about. Just imaging one of our bodies laying on the ground, all crumpled and maimed...

I felt myself pale considerably and banished all thoughts of it from my mind. Nori and Washi both watched me curiously; I just stood there, staring blankly back. For some reason, the horrible image would not leave my mind. I kept picturing their faces, right now so perfectly balanced, though confused, as grotesquely disfigured.

And then I began to wonder, would it be _my_ fault if they did fall? Would I be the one responsible if something happened to them while we were here, or in Konoha, or heading home?

I felt as if the answer was yes. After all, if it wasn't for me, they never would have had to have left Gekkougakure in the first place. If it wasn't for me and my stubbornness--my _refusal_ to return home--they wouldnt be standing on a tree branch right now. If it wasnt for _me_, they wouldn't be facing the danger of coming across bandits, or being attacked or killed. Nothing could happen to them if they were back home--where they belonged.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but suddenly, as I stood there with my teammates--my **friends**--with the wind blowing gently, rustling the leaves, I felt an odd sense of foreboding wash over me, filling my body with dread. It made my body feel heavy; each limb felt like it was made of lead. I couldn't move. I could barely breathe.

"Kaiyo?" Washi squeaked, taking a step near me timidly. He made to reach out for me, but Nori pulled him back, eyeing me cautiously.

"Leave her be," she whispered warningly. Her dark brown eyes never left me, and I never moved. I didn't get why I wasn't moving except for the obvious reason that I couldn't; my legs were too heavy to move. Wouldn't it make sense though to try? If I felt something bad was about to happen, shouldn't I have taken Washi and Nori and ran as far as I could away from the approaching danger? It would have made more sense.

"Something isn't right..." Nori grumbled. Her eyes narrowed until they were merely little slits; you could barely see the warmth of her eyes.

"Kaiyo," Nori began; her voice was low and commanding, as it always was when she was about to give orders. "Move. Lift your leg or something."

I furrowed my brows. "Why?"

"Just do it, okay?"

"Okay..."

I did as she asked, and although the message was sent to my brain, my leg didn't quite get it. I felt myself trying, pushing against the weight of it to just pick it up, but nothing happened. My eyes widened; how odd! I pressed my lips tightly together and tried again, harder now. My leg didn't budge.

Panic began to fill me. It came in through my fingertips, I think, but I couldn't tell because my arms weren't trembling as the rest of my body, excluding my legs, was doing. As I had heard Nori whisper, something was wrong--desperately _wrong_.

I closed my eyes, hoping that I would calm down. There was no need to get so worked up about this. I was just...panicking. That was all.

"Stay _back_ Washi!" Nori hissed, sounding aggravated.

"B-but!" Washi stuttered.

My female teammate sighed. "It's for your own good if you stay back," she said a bit more gently now. "I'm not sure, but I think I know this move..."

This caught my interest. My eyes shot open and I stared intently at Nori. She was still staring intently me, scrutinizing my stillness with her hawk-like eyes

"Oh? Tell us then," Washi and I both insisted.

Nori sighed. "Again, I'm not positive. I'm just guessing here..."

"It's better to have some idea than none at all," I whispered.

"Yeah! Spit it out!" Washi exclaimed.

Nori clamped her hand over his mouth and dressed her finger to her lips. She flashed him a warning glare; it was the first time I had seen her eyes move for a little while now.

"Quiet; they might hear you?"

"...They?" Washi questioned, quiet.

Nori nodded; suddenly, my foreboding made sense. Maybe I had heard them coming? Or possibly--and I hated to think that this was true--I had seen them pass while I was staring at the ground and didn't notice them, but my subconscious did!

"With this move, you can control the movements of a persons arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, and toes. You target in on your..._victim_ and they freeze up. Usually, terrible thoughts start to fill their mind, but that is just a side-effect; the user has no control over that. And then, he or she moves the victim's body by thinking it. The picture of it happening is transmitted from their mind's eye to the person that they're controlling's mind. Then, seeing that, they do it. I don't remember what it's called, but I do remember that it is a fairly new technique derived from that of the Tonkatsu clan in Konoha. Whoever came up with this move was trying to copy the one that the Tonkatsu's made up generations ago--and managed to keep a secret--but failed and ended up coming with a move of their own."

I frowned. So I was being controlled, eh? It did make sense. The terrible thoughts, the lead-feeling...I wondered how much of it was of my own making and how much of it just occurred because someone was controlling me.

"So...why hasn't the person made me jump off the tree yet?" I asked; Nori shrugged.

"And why did you tell Kaiyo to move her leg?"

"I wanted to see whether or not it was a possibility that she was under the attack. That's why I whispered it. If the user was smart, they would have her move her leg when I told her to--_if_ they had heard me. However, unless they have super-human hearing, there's no way they could have."

"Why not?" I wondered aloud.

"Because, for whatever reason, the move can only be used at a long-distance range."

"That's odd..." Washi muttered; a frown took shape on his mouth, creasing his forehead.

"Yes it is..." Nori agreed.

The two sat down, leaning against the tree and just staring at me. They didn't move, didn't speak, they just sat still as if they too were under the jutsu. After a while, it started to irritate me.

"Isn't there any sort of...I don't know, counterattack?!"

Nori shook her head. "Not that I know of."

I sighed. "So are you just waiting it out or something?"

Again, Nori shook her head, causing her long hair to whip across her face and Washi's. He spluttered and spat, untangling his face from the dark web.

"Some people can see the chakra lines for this attack, connecting the two people involved, if they are looking hard enough. The reason for this is unknown, though some say its because the chakra is so bright during this jutsu. Others, however, disagree and say its just because they have special eyes."

"I'm hoping its the first one, because, no offense Nori, but your eyes aren't that special looking to me," I teased, sticking my tongue out at her; she returned the gesture.

Washi frowned, not quite getting the joke. "I like her eyes," he said defensively. "They're...warm. And they sparkle."

Nori's face tinged a light shade of pink; I smiled.

"Your eyes are nice, too, of course Kaiyo!" Washi quickly added, afraid that he had offended me in some way. "They have a sort of glimmer to them. It's like your eyes are reflecting some greater light; it's a little dim, but it's beautiful still." He paused thoughtfully. "Plus, they're a nice shade of green."

Of course, he had to ruin the depth of what he had previously said with that. Of course.

But what he said got me thinking. It reminded me of the odd dream I had had that night. The one with the little girl.

I closed my eyes and the dream began to replay itself in my mind--or rather, the memory. Because I knew it happened; I remembered it distinctively.

_We were playing tag. She was 'it' and I ran fast, but she caught up. When she tagged my shoulder, I felt an electric zap and, I saw when I looked over to look, my shoulder was glowing, as was her hand.  
_

She seemed just as confused as I was, and so, as if to experiment, she touched me again, and the same thing happened.

And then she did the oddest thing--she smiled. It was a radiant smile, and all her small white teeth glowed. It made my face light up as well, but I knew that my smile would never be as brilliant as hers.

It was like she made me shine

How odd that Washi should mention me--or my eyes, really--glowing the same day I had remembered that. It was as if he was inside my mind or something.

He wasn't the only one who seemed to have some sort of occupation up there. I was just starting to loosen up a bit when a picture entered my mind. It wasn't just any picture, but a _command_.

I felt my arm--now suddenly _heavier_ than lead--moving towards my throat. My fingers gently touched the tender skin before closing tightly around it. My oxygen supply was cut off and the inside of my throat began to feel scratchy. I tried to loosen my fingers, to pull them away, but the harder I tried, the tighter my grasp became.

_"Please...let me do it myself...I'd rather go with a weapon familiar to me, no matter how odd it sounds." She looked at me, her eyes flashing warningly. She told me to leave, so why hadn't I?  
_

"Heh. Go ahead. But if that doesn't kill you quickly, we'll take care of the rest."

"So long as I get to use my own weapon first, I suppose that is fine."

Out of the sheath she pulled her thin sword with golden wings on the handle, a diamond between the two. She stepped into the pond, a favorite place of hers, and lifted the sword high so that the harvest moon's bright light glinted on the blade.

Her head was slightly turned so that she could see me. I knew she didn't want this to be viewed by me, but terror kept my feet where they were.

The sword came down, right through her arm. The blood flew, staining her skin and clothes. Her bangs hung in her green eyes as she watched the look of horror on my face; she frowned.

"I did this for you, Kaiyo. So that you can live on with your dreams."

I gasped for breath; tears were stinging in my eyes. Reina-onee-chan...I couldn't breathe! The memories were choking me even more than my hand was.

_"Ma! I'm home and here to serve-I mean **help** you."  
_

"Reina! What took you so long?" Mom's screech pierced my ears, and I could tell they burst Reina's ears as well, because her free hand shot up to one.

"Well you see, Kaiyo is only six years old, and you sent her to get me. So it took a bit of time for her small legs to carry her to me. Plus she had to find where I was...so that took a while. But once she came, we left right away," Reina replied, moving her hand from her ear to a strand of her teal, knee-length hair.

Ma stepped into the room, red faced and thin-lipped. "I didn't ask for your **tone** missy!" she said in a dangerously low voice.

The 11-year-old Reina froze as Ma came towards her and I. Mommy didn't even acknowledge me, cowering against my sister, clutching at her clothes. Reina, arm still draped over my shoulders, brought me close to her so that my face was snuggling against her sides--she knew what was coming, and she didn't want me to see.

But that didn't protect me from hearing the sound of Ma's hand making impact against Reina's cheek.

The tears started spilling down; my cheeks stung as if _I_ had been slapped. I started gasping. "Nori! Washi!" I choked. "Help me!"

_She took out a kunai and gently dragged it over her palm once, and then again, above the first one. Blood slowly leaked out; I watched in horror._

I screamed; it took so much air I just about ran out.

"Kaiyo!" Washi screamed. My eyes were watering so much I could barely make out him jumping up to come to my rescue. I could feel his warm skin holding onto my hands. He wrenched and pulled. I could feel my fingers' grip loosen slightly, but then tighten again.

"Come on, Kaiyo!" Washi cried.

My leg lifted; I pulled it back, and then let it loose. It made impact with _something_. I assumed it was Washi's leg because the boy let out an agonized cry.

"Keep trying, Washi!" Nori demanded. "I found it!"

She zoomed off, leaving Washi stuck trying to keep me from accidentally killing myself while also trying to keep himself from killing me.

_She was a mess when she stumbled through the doorway. She was more blood than she was skin. Her eye was swollen shut; her hands were so chafed that the skin was starting come back, leaving her red. The ends of her hair were stained with blood. There was a long gash going up her arm and a hole in her one knee.  
_

A younger me ran forward to greet her, a gleeful smile on my face. I caught sight of Reina, though, barely able to support herself, her skin sheet-white, and I felt me heart rate lower.

I screamed.

"Kaiyo!" She smiled weakly. "Come here!"

My mint-green eyes widened and I screamed again. My older sister fell right on her face, a smile planted on her face.

**"MOMMY!"**

My hands pulled back away from my throat. I felt oxygen fill my lungs. I coughed and clawed at my throat. Free! I was...free!

"Thank you Washi," I croaked, blinking back the tears in my eyes. The light-haired boy smiled weakly back.

"Thank Nori. She's the one who broke the line. She's over there right now."

And so she was; barely standing, but there.

"We have to go," she said, shaking back her wild mane. "They're coming back."

"Who are they?" I asked, still gasping for breath.

Nori shook her head. "I don't know...but let's go!"

I shook my head. "How many are there?"

"Just two. Why?"

"And...are they men?"

Nori nodded. "But _why_? Why does it matter?"

I merely shook my head. "I'll hang back. You two go ahead; I'll catch up."

"But--" Washi began to protest; I silenced him.

"I promise I'll be right along. Just _go_."

Nori frowned. "You're weak though."

I shrugged. "Don't **worry**." I gave them both a shove, took a deep breath. If there was any chance that these people were my sister's murderers--I needed to be there to take care of them _alone_.

* * *

**a/n **/ just one more chapter written so far. after that...nothing. :( sorry


	9. Fight

**Song of the Full Moon's Child  
Chapter Nine--The Fight**

Impatient.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I waited for them to approach. Why were they staying in hiding? Did they know I was waiting? My breathing was becoming shallower with each passing second.

Anxious.

I imagined their face looming towards mine. I vividly remembered the scars that were etched onto the older man's face. Even with it half covered in midnight-blue, you could tell how mangled his face was by the soft pink tissue; proof of his violence and his injuries. And then there was the second man, young, tall and slender with sharp features and cruel dark eyes. Blue hair framed his slender face.

I shuddered, hearing his cruel, hollow laugh ringing in my ears. The way he had smiled as he watched his red-lips thin and tight as they curled over his perfectly white, sharp teeth.

I felt something turn over in my stomach. Whatever it was started to rise up my throat, but I pushed it back down. _No! _I screamed to myself inside my head. _There's no time for that! I need to be strong! _.

The leaves rustled to my left. My head snapped to the side and my eyes fixed themselves on that spot. Any second now, my enemies would show themselves and I would kill them. I had waited so long for this moment...So very long.

My blood started to heat up with excitement. This was it...I was finally going to avenge my sister. And then I would be free! Free from the terrible feeling of bitterness always nestled away inside of me. At long last I would be able to go about just missing her, no longer angry at the men who killed her, because **I** finally would have had my revenge!

I unclenched my hands and watched as the color returned to my knuckles. Any second now, they would come out to face me. Any second...

"Oi!" I called out, growing steadily more impatient. "Come out already and face me!"

My words echoed throughout the dense forest and were still ringing in my ears when I heard a reply.

"As you wish," the person said in a sleek voice that I did not recognize. My eyes narrowed. Perhaps I had gotten the voices wrong when I was revisiting that awful day? It was possible, though I didn't think I would ever have forgotten how their voices sounded that bleak night.

As I was thinking, two men stepped out through the leaves, revealing themselves. Shock hit me hard, knocking me in the stomach and almost making me stumble backwards. These weren't the men of my nightmares...These weren't the men I so desperately _needed_ to kill. No...these two men were nothing at all like them.

For starters, they were beautiful like angels. The older one was still young though, probably in his early-to-mid-twenties. He had smooth, translucent skin. His face was perfectly proportioned with glittering brown eyes. The way he held his mouth suggested that he was kind and playful, but looking back at his eyes I noticed a steel sort of hardness that told me he wasn't the playing type. The last thing I noticed was his long flowing black hair. He held it back into a loose ponytail with only a few tufts hanging in his eyes.

He regarded me coldly, a smirk pulling at his lips as he saw me staring. I blinked and growled, shaking my head at him before turning to look at the other.

This boy was around my age, perhaps a few years older. He had darker skin that suggested he stood out in the sun a lot. He seemed a little friendlier since his bright violet eyes gleamed in a playful way as he looked over me, as well. His hair was dirty-blonde and messy, but in a nice way with his side-burns coming down and sort of framing his face. He flashed a smile and a wink at me while his companion wasn't looking. And, despite myself and my anger, I felt my stomach flutter.

_That isn't fair, _I grumbled. _There's no flirting with the enemy. _.

I furrowed my brows, disappointed now that it wasn't _the_ two men I had been expecting. I wasn't even sure why I had thought that it could possibly **be** them. Maybe I was just being hopeful, since they certainly had given me no reason to believe that they would be _the_ men.

"What do you want with us?" I growled, flicking my long hair over my shoulder; I turned my gaze from the younger and instead faced the older of the two.

The dark-haired man smirked at me. "I think the question is, what do you want with us?"

"Huh? _We_ never attacked **you** guys."

"How do you know that it was us who attacked you?"

"Because N--my teammate found you guys. You were performing a jutsu on me."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the younger boy smirk proudly, more to himself than to me, though he obviously didn't care that I noticed.

"Ah, yes. That little...pest. She's lucky she got away."

The dark haired man smiled, revealing teeth as perfect as the rest of him.

I froze. "What would you have done to her?"

"The same thing we did to you, maybe more. She wouldn't have had anyone to help her out. That boy was far too concerned with you to worry whether or not your other friend was in danger."

"That isn't true," I whispered.

The man shrugged. "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. We'll never know, now will we? But back to the point...what do you want with us?"

I shook my head. "Nothing."

"Then why would you call out to us, hm?"

"I...thought you were someone else."

"Ah." He smirked. "Well, we know exactly who _you_ are, don't we?" He turned towards the younger boy who nodded mutely in reply.

I froze. "Oh? Who am I then?"

"You are the prodigy-child of Gekkougakure, Tomi Kaiyo."

I cocked an eyebrow, feigning calm. "Am I? I wasn't aware."

"Oh? Are you denying that this is your name?"

"Yes, I am, actually."

In a flash, the black-haired man was in front of me. He held one cold hand under my chin, lifting it up so that I was forced to stare into his light brown eyes. "Didn't your parents ever teach you _not to lie_?" he hissed.

"No, but they did teach me self-defense," I answered. I tore myself away from his grip and kneed him in the stomach.

"Did your parents ever teach you about personal space?"

I caught the boy cackling to himself as he watched the older man try to straighten himself.

"Now, I repeat, what do you two want with us?"

I expected the boy my age to answer since the other was still groaning, unable to speak, but all I got was silence. I stared expectantly at the mop-haired boy, my mint colored eyes harsh, but all he did was smile slightly in reply.

"Don't you talk?" I wondered.

"No, he doesn't," the black haired man replied. "I make him save his strength for...more _important_ things."

The mop-head shrugged.

"So he _can_ talk though?"

The beautiful pale man shrugged. "Now to answer your initial question..." He grinned, his teeth sparkling in the sunlight. "We're here to kill you, of course. And if we must, we'll kill your little teammates, too."

I swallowed. "Oh?"

Maybe I could get their reasons out of them and escape...or perhaps I would just distract them and they would forget all about their plan and then Washi, Nori and I would finish them off.

The two laughed. "You aren't going to stray us from the point, Miss Kaiyo. You don't need to know **why** specifically we are going to kill you, just that we are. And, thank you, by the way, for getting rid of your friends. It was awfully kind of you. It will make our job all the easier to perform without them interfering."

"Do you really think that it's going to be _that_ easy to kill me off?"

"Well I imagine that there will be _some_ problems. You **are** the "prodigy of Gekkougakure" after all--and I use those words loosely. Gekkougakure is in no way a strong enough village to produce a _true_ prodigy."

My eye twitched. How dare he--how **_dare_** he insult MY village--and me! Especially right in front of my face. Oh, it was enough to make me fume; to make my blood curdle. I did find it odd, however, that I felt these things. Gekkougakure was no home of mine; I hadn't considered it as such for a long time now; since before I had even left. Yet fury was instilled upon my heart as I listened to the pony-tailed man rag on my village. Possibly, it had something to do with the fact that Washi and Nori were now with me--my teammates and my friends who just so happened to be from Gekkougakure and still consider it a home, a place to sleep at night, a place where they could always feel comfortable, a place where they grew strong, a place they would **protect**. Hearing this man talk--it was all he seemed to do--about how terrible the village was made me want to rip his head off and throw it to the dogs. How could he just stand there and insult my friends?

Washi, Nori, Tsukikage..._Reina_. They all loved the village; they were all willing to risk their lives for it--Tsukikage did it on a regular basis, and so did Reina...before--and this man was basically saying that what they did was worth NOTHING because Gekkougakure was a NOTHING village. He was calling not only what they **did** weak, but also them!

"_Shut up_," I hissed. I glared at him through narrow slits. "Just shut up before I make you wish that _you_ were the one that couldn't talk!"

The man raised one of his thin eyebrows, amused. "Is that a threat?"

"You bet your mother's life it is," I growled. I didn't even bother to blow my bangs away from my eyes.

He chuckled. "Well, put your money where your mouth is, _little girl_."

In one fluid movement I had jumped up into the air and dove down. I grabbed the twenty-something-year-old man around the waist as I continued to dive down, bringing him with me as I plummeted towards the ground.

"W-what are you doing?!" he screeched. I let go of him and kicked him in his stomach, sending him further down. I also continued to fall. Calmly, I grabbed onto a tree branch and swung myself on top of it, watching as the man fell through the black, finally landing on the ground.

I smiled triumphantly to myself. Ha! He acted tough, but he sure was easy...

But wait...

I frowned and peered over the edge. That wasn't the man anymore. I saw no pools of blood, nor did I see the clothes that the man had been wearing. No...the man wasn't there at all. It was just...a log.

I sighed in frustration. So much for that.

I jumped to my feet and turned around to go back up and fight. My path was blocked, however, and I let out a silent scream. When had he **gotten** there?! I hadn't heard him approach.

The silent boy smiled at me before gently pushing my shoulder.

I gasped as I stumbled back over the edge of the branch. Such amazing strength! He had barely flicked me, and yet I was soaring through the air!

"Ugh," I mumbled. My head slammed into the trunk of a tree before dangling. I was bleeding; I could see it; I could smell it; I could taste it.

I mustered all of my strength and stood. Gently, I touched the back of my head. It was wet and sticky; blood. Groaning, I glanced over my shoulder and was amazed to find that the tree trunk had a gaping hole in it now from where I had made impact with it.

_He's strong._

"Amazing, isn't it?"

I felt hot breath on my ear and cold skin touching my bare shoulder. I gave an involuntary shudder before punching the dark-haired man in the fast.

"Reflexes," I explained, smirking. "Gotta love them."

"That's not the only thing you've got to love," the man said coolly.

I didn't even have time to be confused. The next thing I knew, I was eating bark, laying flat on the tree branch. Something was holding my head down, and as much as I struggled, I couldn't release myself.

_It has to be the boy,_ I said. The man wasnt nearly strong enough for this.

"That's enough, Tenma. I don't want her to die by suffocation. I had something a bit..._gory_ in mind."

The silent boy, Tenma, must have given his consent because he removed pressure from my head. Slowly, I lifted myself up, coughing and spluttering. That was the second time that day alone that I had nearly suffocated.

"Maybe we should make her do something...If anyone finds her, they'll think it was a suicide..."

I looked over at Tenma; he shook his head.

"You don't like that idea, boy?"

Again, the silent boy shook his head.

"Well, too bad! You will do as I say! Do you hear me?" The pale man grabbed Tenma by his tan, muscled forearm and glared; it was brown on violet as the two had a stare off. I took that chance to see if I could escape, but the violent man saw this coming and latched himself onto my wrist.

"_You_ aren't going anywhere," he whispered coolly.

"Don't touch me," I growled. "Now why do you want to kill me?"

"Why should I tell you?"

I sighed, doing my best to look defeated. "Shouldn't I at least get to know why I die?"

The black-haired man sighed. "Very well. Getting rid of the prodigy child that has run off--and event that has gotten the entire village in an uproar--is the easiest way to bring about a war, which we will surely win. Of course, it isn't just Tenma and I. We have several other followers..._strong_ followers, who will join us as soon as we defeat you. The Tsukikage would do anything to protect you. You are, after all, the hope of the village. And if we kill you...he will be in an uproar. Of course, if we merely killed your friends, I doubt he would care very much. But you..._you_ are something special in that village! Everyone respects Kaiyo. You've brought so many honors to the Tomi clan and the village, simply because you were born. They've waited a long time for another one of you...they arent going to give you up very easily. And once you are gone, they'll all be so angry they'll attack. And of course, it's a weak village, so they'll all die and we shall take over."

"My village isn't **weak**!" I growled. My eyes flashed and then, suddenly, I felt a great power bubbling inside of me. I no longer felt run-down and the bleeding stopped. I tore away from his grasp, an action that sent both of the beautiful males flying.

"The true nature of the girl is finally revealed, Tenma! See that strength!"

I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. Ram. Dragon. Ox. Dog. Bird.

I felt light as air. Looking down at myself, I noticed that my skin was glowing. My finger tips were especially light. Curious, I pointed above the two. A stream of bluish light went straight from my fingertips outward. Looking closely, I noticed it burned straight through the trees; I smelt fire.

I didn't want the entire forest to burn so I quickly moved my finger to the side. The tree trunk was immediately cut and it into pieces. The wood chunks went tumbling through the air and fell where the two sat, drowsy.

"That's...interesting," I whispered to myself. I pointed at a branch above my head, a thin one, and cut it into pieces. Nimbly, I avoided them as the fell about me and then returned to the branch in order to pick them up. They were heavy, but I was strong.

"Oi!" I called out. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine!"

I growled. Not what I was hoping, but alright.

"Then come out and fight, will you?"

Their heads popped up. Instantaneously, I chucked the large woodchucks. Tenma managed to catch his, but his companion was not so lucky. It grazed the side of his once-beautiful now-tarnished face, splintering his skin.

I repeated the hand seals, not really sure what I was doing still, and my skin immediately stopped glowing.

I obviously did this too early, though, because Tenma was there in front of me. He smiled mischievously, his violet eyes twinkling, and then wrapped his arms around my waists, pinning my arms to my sides. He shoved me against the tree trunk and, despite my new strength, I though I heard all of my bones crack and break.

And then he just stood there, breathing lightly, crushing the life out of me. I strained to reach around and grab a kunai out of my pouch. It always seemed to be just out of reach. Eventually though, when Tenma took a rather deep breath and his grip loosened, I managed to grab a kunai. I managed to do this without noticeable movement, and Tenma just continued holding me.

He breathed softly on my face; his breath smelled sweet like candy and I almost lost my will to stab him, especially when he smiled again at me, his eyes boring into mine. _Why_ did he have to be so...beautiful and flirtatious? It wasnt fair.

I had to do it though, or else I would die. Slowly, I moved the kunai to his side and then...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

His scream filled my ears and echoed throughout the forest. Birds cawed as they flew angrily from their nests into the sky. I took the opportunity and slipped away from his arms. jumping away.

"_Tenma!_!" the man screeched. "Get her!"

"Hey, here's an idea!" I called back. "Why don't _you_ come and get me?"

"Don't tempt me, child!"

"Why? I though5t **you** were the one that wanted to kill me, anyway? So why don't you leave him to suffer and come take care of it yourself."

"I'm warning you..."

"What? Do you depend on him or something? Are you nothing without his strength, stealth, and speed? Is that why he's been doing all of the attacking?"

The man didn't reply and I knew that I had hit it right in the nail.

"Oh-ho!" I laughed. "So you're just the plan-man? You simply figure out what to do and leave the rest up to him?"

"No," he said shakily.

"Right," I snorted. "Okay, here's an idea. We fight one-on-one. Leave Tenma to take care of his wound, or watch, and we fight. Hey, if I'm wrong and you actually do have some fighting strength in you, maybe you'll win and get to kill me!"

The only reason I even said such a thing was because I somehow knew that I wasn't wrong.

"Oh, here's a dilemma," I said, voicing what I believed to be his thoughts. "If you don't fight me, you look like a baby who depends on a fourteen-year-old boy--"

"Fifteen," he quietly interrupted, anger flickering in his light eyes.

"Oh, my bad!" I said sarcastically. "_Fifteen_-year-old boy. But if you do fight me, you run the risk of me finding out that I'm actually right. Oh, I wouldn't want to be put in _your_ spot."

He was shaking with rage. "Fine," he spat. "Come along."

"Why don't you come to **me**?" I suggested with my new-found confidence.

"Fine!" he growled. "I'll come to you Miss _Prodigy_."

And so he did. The battle started immediately, carrying us throughout the forest. It dealed mostly with him dodging and throwing weapons. He didn't use any taijutsu, nor did he use genjutsu or ninjutsu. He seemed rather unskilled to me. I almost felt bad for him as I hit him yet again.

When my head collided with a tree, I felt a bit woozy, but something warm filled me: power.

Monkey. Rabbit. Snake.

Another new move that I didn't even know existed. I felt...cold suddenly. And I didn't seem to have any bones, yet I was moving anyway.

I was almost afraid to look down at myself.

And I had good reason, too. I was made entirely of water, magically held in the shape of my body.

I reached out and touched the horrified looking man. Then, with one hand, I performed another seal: Boar.

The man started to look weaker and weaker. His skin was shriveling up until he looked like white leather. All of his former beauty was gone; he looked old.

I didn't understand what was happened (that was happening a lot). All I knew was that he was shriveling up, I was growing bigger. More water was filling me, and as it did and I grew closer to the sky, something inside me began to shine and shimmer. It was around where my heart should have been; when I looked down, there was a moon in my chest, shining out, lighting the already lit forest and blinding the once beautiful young man. I had never seen a moon so bright. And more light was coming!

I looked back up to avoid blinding myself. As I did this, I accidentally moved my hand off of the man's shoulder. The connection broke, and instead of growing, I shrunk and morphed, turning back into a human; the moon was gone and the water I had collected from the man fell off of me (for I had figured out that I had been sucking it out of his body) , raining down on the forest ground.

"What have you done to me?" the man croaked.

I didn't reply. Instead, I repeated the hand seals from before. Ram. Dragon. Ox. Dog. Bird.

The light returned. I felt my fingertips buzzing. Unfeeling, I pointed at the man's chest. The light beams moved right through him, burning a hole in his dry skin. He whimpered and screamed, his eyes terrified. I flicked my finger to the side, cutting right through him so that from his shoulders up, he was disconnected from the rest of his body. I could have cut him into even tinier pieces, but I began to feel human again. And with that came caring and, even though I hated this man, guilt.

Trembling slightly, I looked at what I had done. There were two shriveled pieces of a man just sitting there on the tree branch. Horror was frozen on his face. His eyes were wide and I saw tears had been forming in them--I don't know where he gotten the water from, it seemed I had sucked it all out of him--before I had killed him off.

I closed my eyes, sick with myself, and kicked the two pieces of the man off the tree, sending them tumbling to the forest ground. I didn't want to look at them. It was disturbing, and I felt as if I was going to throw up.

Sighing but trying not to open my mouth, I turned. The boy, Tenma, was staring at me, mouth agape. He didn't smile or wink, just stared. I took a step towards him and then he was gone, running off through the forest away from me.

"I didn't want to kill him; and I wasn't going to kill you, Tenma," I whispered. And that was when I broke down and cried.

* * *

Washi and Nori came back looking for me later. They found me sobbing and wheezing, exactly where I had been when I started an hour before.

"What happened? Honey, what's wrong?" Nori soothingly inquired. She stroked my blood stained hair gently, as if I was fragile I would break if she applied any pressure.

"Um..." Washi stuttered.

"Shh," Nori hushed him, then turned back to me. "Tell me all about what happened? Did you scare them off."

I started bawling even harder when she mentioned them. How could I have been so cruel? I knew he was going to kill me, but I had never killed someone before! And to do it as I did...so cruel... so unfeeling.

"Kaiyo, what _happened_?"

"_Nori_!" Washi carefully sang, teeth gritted. "I think that you should look over here..."

"Now right now, Washi! I'm trying to comfort Kaiyo!"

"Yeah, I know, but I **really** think that you should take a look."

"Fine!" Nori, exasperated, agreed. She pat my head consolingly and then jumped to her feet, joining Washi. "What? What is it?"

He pointed to the forest floor; Nori gasped.

"Oh my..."

I bit my lip to stop myself from starting all over with a new batch of tears.

"Kaiyo, honey..." Nori delicately started. "Did _you_...do that?"

I whimpered as I nodded.

"How did you...?"

I shrugged, still unable to speak.

"Oh dear. Do you think that it's one of _those_ things that Tsukikage-sama told us about?" Nori whispered to Washi.

"Probably."

"Oh my..." Nori plastered a smile onto her face and turned back towards me. "Come on, Kaiyo. Let's get going. Washi and I found the perfect little camp-site where we can rest up. We didn't set up or anything because we didn't think wed have to take a break, but...well, you need one."

"Okay," I whispered.

"I'll carry her," Washi offered. Before I could refuse, he scooped me up into his arms bridal-style and carried me off, Nori following close behind.

I sat silently by the fire until night fell. Nori and Washi placed food before me; I didn't even nibble on it. I felt too sick with myself to even _look_ at food, let alone taste it.

"Please eat something, Kaiyo," Nori begged. "You need to have something in your stomach."

"I'm not hungry," I insisted. My voice was barely above a whisper; it was all that I could muster.

Nori sighed. "Please?"

I shook my head.

"Fine. Washi! Eat this."

Washi, who hadn't been listening to our conversation at **all**, knit his brows together. "But what about Kaiyo? She needs to eat."

"I'm not hungry," I mumbled. Silently, I got to my feet and walked over to my things. I felt two sets of eyes on me as I wordlessly set up my sleeping mat. Seriously, what did they think that I was going to do that made them watch me so carefully? I had killed them man, true; I had started sobbing uncontrollably afterwards, true; I had acted strangely since the crying, true; I wouldn't eat, true; I had tried to kill myself, false.

There was _nothing_ o worry about, but they just wouldn't see that.

I sighed. "I would prefer it if you two wouldn't stare at me as I try to sleep. Thanks."

"Oh! Right!" they spluttered, quickly looking away.

I crawled under the covers and pulled them over my head, blocking out the remaining dim lights above. I didn't want to see the stars, and I most definitely didn't want to see the moon. It reminded me too much of what had happened earlier.

I listened as Washi and Nori cleaned up. Soon afterwards I heard Washi's loud snores and the sizzling of the fire as it was put out. Next to me, I heard rustling as Nori slipped into her sleeping bag.

"Nori?" I hoarsely whispered.

She squeaked. "Oh, jeez! Kaiyo, don't scare me like that! I thought you were asleep," she said breathlessly.

"No. I wasn't."

"Oh. Well...give a girl some warning next time! Now what can I do for you?"

"It's just...well, you never answered my question from earlier."

Even through the dark blanket, I could tell she was confused. "What question?" she finally asked.

"I asked what you thought of Washi. Like, how you felt about him..."

"Oh." Nori fell into a thoughtful silence. "I don't know. I...we're really close. I mean, I've known him my entire life. We grew up together. Almost like," she swallowed hard. "Brother and sister." I could tell how hard it was for hr to say that. Once those words were uttered, it was hard to take them back. Once you said that the person was like a sibling to you, almost all chances of anything happened were over because you don't _feel_ that way about your sibling. And even if you're lying when you say it, it's still out there, in the back of your mind.

"Is that all? Are you sure?" I asked, trying to give her a way out.

"Yes; I'm sure."

"Okay..."

Silence. I settled back onto my pillow and closed my eyes, hoping that finally, sleep would come.

"Kaiyo?" Nori whispered.

"Yes?" I murmured, eyes still closed.

"What about you? How do you feel about Washi?"

I thought for a moment. We were close, though not as close as the two of them. However, I looked realistically at what the two of us had been through together and said something that allowed me to change my mind without feeling so weird. "He's one of my best friends, and I love him. But that's all."

"Oh. Okay."

And that was that. Soon afterwards, Nori was fast asleep, breathing lightly beside me. I listened to her rhythmic breathing as if it were a lullaby and soon I joined my two teammates in the land of sleep.

_Reina sat on a stool outside at our favorite place; I sat on the ground before her, humming to myself as she played with my short green hair.  
_

"Kaiyo?" she whispered.

"Hai, onee-chan?"

"Have you ever thought of someone and felt all warm inside?"

I thought for a moment, curious as to what she meant by this but also thinking about if I ever had.

"Hai!" I squealed, grinning as I turned to look at her.

"Oh, really? Who?" she asked, smiling radiantly at me.

"You, of course!"

She laughed and pulled me close to her, kissing the top of my head gently.

"What about you, Reina-nee-chan?"

"Hm? Oh, yes...I have."

"Who?"

She hesitated. "You, silly! Of course you..." She looked and sounded as if she intended to say someone elses' name as well but refrained. Instead she remained silent, staring off into the distance. You could see everything from where we sat. Of course, one thing always caught her eye: the Tsukikage's mansion. In it lived her friend Seishirou, son of the current Tsukikage. He was a few years older than her, seven to be exact, and he was already a Jounin.

At the time I was only five, which meant that Reina was ten and he was seventeen.

"Whatcha looking at, nee-chan?"

She smiled down at me. "Nothing, Kaiyo. Just...thinking."

"About what?"

"About why I feel so warm when I think of my friend."

"Oh."

I awoke slowly, unwilling to face the world again after such a relaxing sleep. I had had another memory-dream. This one didn't hurt to think about, just made me...curious.

A warm feeling...thinking of her friend...

She had been staring at Seishirou's house then, so she must have meant thinking of him. And normally people felt warm when they thought of someone they liked...so why...?

_My thoughts about feelings changing for Washi must have messed with my memory. There's no way that Reina felt that way about Tsukikage-sama! That's crazy!_

I closed my eyes again, noticing it was still dark, and was almost back asleep when someone shook me on the shoulder. Slowly, I lifted my eyelids...

...And promptly screamed.

The figure looming about me clamped a hand over my mouth. "Shh," he hushed.

He then grabbed my arm with his free hand and led me off slowly.

"What do you want Tenma?" I whispered, shaking. I had just gotten over what had happened with my peaceful sleep, and here he was to ruin it!

He smiled carefully at me. "I saw what I did and I wanted to say...thank you. I'm...really not a bad guy, Kaiyo."

And with that, he released my arm, his fingers lingering slightly on my skin, and then he hurried off.

I stared after him, shocked. My skin still tingled where he had last touched it.

_What was that about?_

* * *

**a/n **I quite enjoyed writing this. I really liked what happened. The younger guy has hair like Hatsuharu from Fruits Basket. Only dirty-blonde. sad music playing in the background so how did you like it? Is it enough to hold you over until I start updating again?

Ah, I really like Tenma. do any of you like Tenma? He's relaly cool, actually. and EVERNTUALLY, he will have a part in th story. a REAL part. just in case any of you wnated to know. but for now, he's just that guy she fought.

so what did you guys think? are you pleased with me? It's probably the longest chapter yet AND I wrote it all in one day. are you guys proud or what? I know that I am. xD

anyway! I LOVE Feedback. so please, rate and message. I'll love you forever! lol.

Peace!

(yes, I wrote it one day, but it took me MONTHS to get it up here. )

and that's all I have for now / sorry!! hope you stay with it, but if you don't, I understand


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